Promises
by Landlady of the Universe
Summary: InuYasha has chosen, and it's not Kagome he wants to be with. Sick at heart, all Kagome wants to do is go home. Only, she has to finish gathering the shards, so she turns to another protector to finish her mission. AUish, SessKag COMPLETE
1. Blood Oaths and Squashed Toad

Warnings (and stuff): This is going to be a pretty typical fic for me.  Which means that there's gonna be a lot of blood, gore, angst, death, and some squicky scenes just for fun.  I'm terrible at writing romance, so if you are expecting some sappy little love scenes, too bad!  If you like a huge helping of angst then you're in the right place. *evil grin*

I'd also like to point out that I've seen a total of five eps of Inu-Yasha.  (The first one I caught was the establishment of 'sit' and I was hooked.)  Most of what I know about the characters is from what I've seen on fansites or fics.  I'm trying my best to keep the characters in character, but they are going to be a little bit different.  So if anyone is too off, could you let me know, and I'll try to fix it.  As for events, this is a huge AU, cuz I'm really not sure about the timeline of things.

As for Kagome: she's not too bad in this chapter, but eventually, some of you may see her as just plain evil.  I like to think of it as proactive, but … *shrugs*  In this fic, she's actually got some brains.  (I swear, when she asked Inu-Yasha if he would protect her forever after he gets Tetsusaiga, I thought I was gonna ralph.)

Two more things.  Obviously, Inu-Yasha chose Kikyo over Kagome, and I'm gonna explain the specific circumstances of that later on.  Just wanted to clear that up before hand.  Also, if you want me to e-mail you when I update this, then let me know.  I don't mind looking up your addy if you're signed in, but if you aren't then please leave it for me.

Thanks for listening to me ramble, and please, please review.  I really want to know what you think! ~Landlady

Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and some other people.  Although I did manage to get Fluffy to stay for a while … he's a sucker for dog treats.

Promises

Chapter 1: Blood Oaths and Squashed Toad

Unbelievable.

She had trekked nearly all the way across the island of Japan, though it felt as though she had been twice that far.  She had been attacked by demons, humans, and wild animals, and nearly killed more than once.  It had been embarrassingly easy to get past the guards at the gate. But now, this, this **toad** thought he could stop her from seeing the person that she had risked so much to see.

Kagome was **not** amused.

Directing her glare downwards at the slimy servant she asked with the most menacing voice that she could muster, "What did you say?"  Adding to the fact that she looked half-dead and the cheery shine in her eyes had been replaced with an emotionless shield which betrayed a glimmer of anger bubbling under the surface, it was enough to make even Jaken think twice before arguing with her.

Unfortunately – for the toad demon – he wasn't smart enough to take the warning.  "I said," he began, drawing himself up to his full two and a half feet, "Sesshoumaru-sama has better things to do that to grant an audience with the likes of you."

Kagome growled, and bent over to stick her face into the green one, making Jaken's eyes bulge out even more than she had thought possible.  "You listen to me you little worm.  If you don't want to end up a puddle of goo, you better go to your master and tell him that I want to see him right **now**."

It took Jaken a little bit longer this time to recover, but he did, straightening again, and preparing to tell the girl off again, when a giggle from behind cut him short.  He turned with a glare, not wholly surprised to see the girl-child Rin standing behind him.  She giggled again, waving at Kagome.

Kagome smiled back, a flat smile, as if it was an effort to do so, and straightened, walking around Jaken as though he was nothing more than a chair to greet the girl.  "Hi, Rin.  How are you doing?"

"Rin is good, Kagome-san.  Sesshoumaru-sama takes good care of Rin."

"Good, good.  Hey Rin, why don't we go find Sesshoumaru-sama?"  Rin grinned widely and nodded so enthusiastically that Jaken was sure that her head would come off.

"Hold on a minute," the toad demon began, but Kagome and Rin scampered off before he could get another word out.  Not waiting to even see which way they went, he scurried off himself to go warn his master.

***

Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, watched as his half-brother's wench entered his study, led by his Rin.  She stopped as soon as her eyes fell on his still form, grabbing Rin's shoulder, stopping the girl as well.  Without taking her eyes off of him, Kagome rested both hands on the child's shoulders, keeping Rin in front of her.

"Very brave of you," Sesshoumaru noted disinterestedly, "using the girl as a shield."

Something flashed in the wench's eyes and she turned the girl slightly, "Hey Rin, why don't you go tell toady that I said thanks for all his help."  The girl looked from Kagome to Sesshoumaru and dashed out of the room without a protest.  When Kagome looked up again, Sesshoumaru understood the reason for Rin's unusual behavior.

"I had to get in here somehow, **without** being killed."

Sesshoumaru smirked, the girl was smart, no doubt about that.  "What do you want?"

Without warning, her cool façade fell as she became uncertain.  It was as if she had planned her meeting with him only up to this point and was now unsure of what to do.  Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and looked him in the eyes and plunged forward, "I want to talk to you."

"We are talking," Sesshoumaru reminded her, smirking at her blush.  He rose from his seat and walked over to her, leaning down so that their noses were inches apart.  He was enjoying the waves of fear that radiated off of her, despite the fact that she smelled of old blood and filth.  "So talk."

Kagome turned around quickly, clenching her fist, before she turned back, looking him in the eyes this time.  "What I really want is to go home.  But, I made a promise to gather the Shikon shards first.  And I can't do it alone, hell, I nearly got killed about six times on the way here, and I wasn't even carrying any shards with me.  And Inu…" she trailed off for a moment, loosing her momentum and staring off into space.

"What about my idiot half-brother?" Sesshoumaru asked after a moment, his patience wearing thin.

The girl blinked, coming back to reality.  "I can't hunt the shards with Inu-Yasha anymore," she continued flatly suddenly perfectly calm once more.

"And you expect me to help you," Sesshoumaru finished for her.

"Not for nothing you know."  The demon lord blinked.  Once again, the girl had switched tones; she was back to the sadistically cheery Kagome that had first entered the room.  "I think, no, I know that I can get you Tetsusaiga."

Sesshoumaru stared silently at the girl, betraying no emotion.  This little thing that was trembling under his gaze was going to give him the sword that he desired most?  The demon lord had a hard time believing that.

Kagome must have guessed what he was thinking, for she quickly continued, "You have to admit that I am probably the best chance you've got to obtain it.  After all, you've tried several times before and failed.  This isn't a sword that you can take, someone must give it to you."

Realizing she was right, Sesshoumaru growled.  Faster than lightening, he had her pinned to the wall with a hand around her neck.  For just a moment, she seemed truly afraid … until suddenly she glared, and anger replaced any other emotion that was there.  Not discouraged, the demon leaned forward until their noses were practically touching, and hissed, "What makes you think that as soon as I have the sword, I won't just kill you?"

To her credit, Kagome didn't even flinch, even though she was obviously having a hard time breathing.  "Because, you are going to give me your word that you will protect me, until my task is finished.  If you kill me after I give you the sword, then you will break your oath.  And despite the fact that I don't trust you, I know that you are a man of your word and I will trust you to uphold that."  Then she smirked, "Besides, killing me would upset Rin."

Sesshoumaru growled once again and released her.  How dare she!  How dare this wench use Rin against him!  She had found his weakness and was exploiting it.  There was no reason why he shouldn't just kill her now, and forget about her.  There was no reason why he should worry about her problems.

However, he had to respect her intelligence, not to mention her guts.  Besides, she was probably right in saying that his best chance to get the sword from his brother was through her.  He turned away and strolled back to his desk, ignoring her coughing while he turned all of the possibilities over in his mind.  By the time she had regained her breath, he had made up her mind.

"Very well," he said, turning to look her in the eye, "I, Sesshoumaru, swear that I will assure your survival throughout the duration of your task."

Kagome straightened, "And I swear that in return for your help, I will bring you the sword Tetsusaiga and make sure that you can use it."  Sesshoumaru was a little surprised that she willingly added the last part of her oath, but put that observation away for later.

Before she realized what was happening, Sesshoumaru was once again too close for comfort.  With a grim face, he wiped some of the blood that was dripping from the scratch marks that he had caused on her neck and smeared it onto her right hand.  Slitting his finger with a claw, he dropped some of his blood on his hand and grabbed hers, melding the two bloods together.  "Now it is sealed," he whispered, "You can no longer change your mind."

"Neither can you," Kagome reminded him, and the demon nodded solemnly.  She stepped back and for the first time, Sesshoumaru took a good look at the girl he had just promised to protect.  She was filthy.  Her dark hair was mussed, parts of it were clumped together with what looked like mud and dried blood.  She was wearing the oddest outfit that he had ever seen, what used to be a short green skirt and what looked like some kind of white shirt.  However, it was kind of hard to tell, since both her shirt and skirt were as filthy as her hair and torn to pieces as well.  Her shoes looked a little better, but he had no doubt that they were almost worn out.  The rest of her was covered in new and old scratches, bruises and scrapes.  Not to mention she smelled as though she had been wading through a pile of dead demons.

Kagome shifted slightly as Sesshoumaru was attempting to see if she had any serious wounds, and opened her mouth to say something.  She was interrupted by the shoji door sliding open and Jaken's frantic, "Sesshoumaru-sama!  Your half-brother's wench is demanding…"  He trailed off as he noticed Kagome standing off to the side.

"I noticed, Jaken," he said with a slight tinge of amusement coloring his voice.  Jaken knew better than to think that Sesshoumaru was happy about the situation and immediately threw himself down on the floor, profusely apologizing for his tardiness.  Sesshoumaru brushed it off with a wave of his hand and a set of instructions.  The toad demon rose, obviously furious at being given the duties of a common servant, directing his glare towards the girl as if this was all her fault.  "Oh and Jaken," the servant turned to him with a cringe, "if the girl comes to any harm while she is under my roof, I shall hold you personally responsible.  You may go."  Grumbling, the toad obeyed, gesturing for the girl to follow him.  Kagome, for her part, shot him a confused look before leaving as well.  And Sesshoumaru returned to his desk, only to shut the book that he had been reading and signal for another servant.  He had an idea, something his half-brother would have never thought to do.

***

Kagome sighed in relief as she stepped into a steaming bath.  She should have guessed that someone as immaculate as Sesshoumaru had a proper bathhouse, complete with a masseuse.  But it had been hard to see someone as evil as she perceived the demon lord having a place so pretty.  The baths themselves were outside, with only a roof to shelter them from the weather.  All around were weeping willows and various flowering plants that added to the tranquility of the setting.  For the first time since she had first fallen down the well, Kagome felt safe.  She was in a fortress, after all, and Sesshoumaru … Sesshoumaru had promised to protect her.  It was hard to believe.  Sure, she had come all this way for one last hope, but even so, she really hadn't really believed that he would agree.

Yet he had.  Holding up her hand, she gazed at the spot where their blood had mixed.  She didn't completely understand the implications of what ha happened, but she had a good idea.  Sesshoumaru was a stickler for tradition.

With another sigh, Kagome decided that she had better get out before she got wrinkled.  The moment that she made a move to get up, a servant, a female **human** servant, rushed to help her.  Blushing, Kagome allowed the woman to give her a hand out of the bath and wrap a towel around her.  When the servant reached for a kimono, she stammered, "Where are my clothes?"

The woman didn't even blink, "Sesshoumaru-sama is having others brought.  You can wear this for now."

"But, my clothes are just fine," Kagome protested, even as she slipped the light silk kimono on.  It felt nice, especially compared to her dirty uniform.

The maid held up a tattered green piece of fabric that was doing a good impression of swiss skirt.  "Oh really?" the woman asked skeptically.

Kagome blushed and ducked her head, "Ok, so they're a little ragged."

"Just a little," the maid agreed.  "Come.  I'll take you to your room and have some food brought.  You look like you could use some."  Kagome's stomach rumbled its agreement, and they both chuckled as the woman led her down the hall.

An hour later, Kagome was stuffed for the first time in weeks.  Sesshoumaru had a **great** cook.  Yawning, she was about to try out the bed when a knock sounded on the door.  "Come in!" she called cheerily.  The woman that had been assigned as her maid entered with a pile of clothes in her arms.

"Here you are dear," she said kindly, handing the outfit to Kagome before leaving again to give her some privacy while she changed.

A full-length mirror stood at one side of her bedroom.  Standing in front of it, she twisted from side to side, examining her new outfit.  "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered.  A pair of tight black pants clung to her legs, and a mini wrap skirt in deep blue draped around her hips.  Her top was black as well, sleeveless and as tight as her pants.

"It seems to fit," a smooth voice sounded from behind her.  Kagome swore that she jumped three feet in the air, and twisted to see Sesshoumaru leaning casually in her doorway, frowning for some reason.

"What the hell is this?" she asked, gesturing at her clothing.  "If you think that I'm going to wear these because you like looking at my ass, you've got another thing coming."

The demon lord blinked a few times, his only expression of surprise, "Your usual attire is more revealing than that."  It was obvious from his tone that he found the idea of checking her out revolting.  Kagome sighed, and nodded her agreement, but that didn't stop her from wincing when she looked in the mirror again.  "I've got something else for you," he continued, turning and motioning to someone outside her room.  When he turned back, he held out a weapon to the girl, who reluctantly took it.  It looked like a spear, except that the blade was longer and slightly curved.  "A glaive," Sesshoumaru explained, "I'll teach you how to use it."

Kagome turned the weapon in her hand, watching the light glint off of the blade curiously.  "But I can already use a bow," she protested.

Sesshoumaru snorted, clearly not impressed.  "A bow is a long distance weapon, and it will do you no good if an enemy gets close to you.  With the glaive, you are far enough away to avoid most attacks, but can still repel the short-range ones."

"But I can purify my arrows."

"With practice, you should be able to purify the blade.  There may come a time when I am drawn away from you in an attack, and you will need to defend yourself for a short time.  We will not leave until you learn the basics of defense."

Kagome sighed, but she saw the sense in his words.  There had been more times then she could count when Inu-Yasha had been drawn away from her, and it was a wonder that she had not been attacked while defenseless before.  "When do we start?"

"In the morning, bright and early.  I suggest you get your sleep."  With that, the demon lord left Kagome wondering why he even cared.

***

The next day, Kagome found out that when Sesshoumaru-sama said bright and early, Sesshoumaru-sama **meant** bright and early.  Her sudden revelation came about by waking up to a very unhappy toad-face well before dawn.  So the girl did what any sleepy, modern female would do.  She shrieked.

Not two minutes later, Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway only to duck as Jaken was hurled through the entrance to Kagome's room.  The girl herself was clutching her sheets to her chest, yelling about hentai toads trying to feel her up in her sleep.  The demon lord looked back once to make sure that his servant was still alive before turning back to his charge (who had by now stopped screaming).  "I think you'll do all right," he remarked with a smirk before leaving, dragging Jaken unceremoniously with him.

Kagome flopped back onto the bed, shutting her eyes again with a yawn.  Just as she was falling asleep again, the arrogant dog demon stuck his head in the door and shouted for her to wake up.  The girl jumped up, heart pounding, and shot the demon a glare before slamming the door shut in his face so she could dress.

She met him in a large dojo that was attached to the main castle, all decked out in her new outfit, and carrying her glaive.  Sesshoumaru was already there, raising an eyebrow at her tardiness (it had taken her a little while to find her pants), to which Kagome made a face.

"If you intend to be this late every day, we'll never be able to leave," he remarked calmly.

"Oh no!  I'm a whole ten seconds late!  The world is going to end!" Kagome sneered sarcastically.  It was way to early to put up with his arrogant demon attitude.

To her surprise, Sesshoumaru barked a laugh.  Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed again.  Despite her total shock, the girl decided that she liked his laugh; it made him seem more approachable somehow, more human, although she would never tell him that.

Through the next hour of their lesson, she tried to pay attention, but her thoughts kept turning toward her teacher's unusual behavior.  An hour later, when Sesshoumaru picked up a sword – a real sword, not one of the wooden practice ones – she gulped.  And when she found herself doing better after that, part of the reason was that she had finally figured it out.  This was the demon lord's home, therefore, he was less guarded her because he felt safer.  _Heh,_ Kagome thought smugly as she dodged a blow, _I knew there was a reason why I sought him out here._

Two hours into their lessons, Sesshoumaru called a halt for breakfast.  Kagome, who was utterly sore already and beginning to wonder if she would ever use her arms again, got up the guts to tease him about giving up on her so soon.  For a moment, when he began to advance toward her, she wondered if she had made a mistake.  He merely corrected her defensive pose that she had slipped into without thinking, and **smiled**.  It wasn't a huge or overly enthusiastic grin, but it was a real smile, almost as if he was pleased with her actions.  Not that he really cared, Kagome reminded herself sternly when she felt a bit of unexpected warmth at the thought.

After they ate, he returned her to the dojo and showed her a simple kata which she was to perfect by evening.  Kagome bitched good-naturedly, but she obeyed, which was all that the demon cared about.  One wall of the dojo was mirrored, and she used that as she practiced, trying to remember the way Sesshoumaru had done it.  Though the form had seemed simple, her clumsy motions didn't want to imitate it, and as the day went by, Kagome began to get more frustrated with her moves.  And then, if that wasn't bad enough, something flicked in the corner of her eye, distracting her.

She turned, expecting to see Rin, or maybe Jaken.  Instead, she caught an eyeful of Sesshoumaru, twirling gracefully through a kata of his own.  Her mouth dropped open of its own accord.  How could something so deadly be so beautiful?  His eyes flicked to her for a split-second, but he waited to finish before stopping.

"You remind one of a dead fish," he remarked offhandedly.  Funny, for some reason, she had thought that the demon lord had more manners than his brother.

Kagome's mouth snapped shut with an audible click, only to open again as she asked, "How do you do that?  It's so pretty."

Sesshoumaru frowned, obviously not taken with her choice of adjectives.  "Pretty?"

Kagome blushed and waved her hand vaguely.  "Like a dance," she explained.

The youkai snorted, humans and their foolish ideas.  "You are supposed to be practicing."

"You distracted me!  How do you expect me to concentrate when you are over there twirling?"  Sesshoumaru growled, putting down his sword and stalking over to the girl.

"You must learn to work around distractions.  Ignore them if they are not an immediate danger to you."  Kagome gulped.  It didn't take an expert to understand the stress that the youkai put on immediate and what it meant.  She nodded, returning to her work.  This time, the demon lord didn't go back to practicing on his own, but stayed and corrected her, forcefully, every time she was a centimeter off.  Naturally, by the time they stopped for lunch, she was in a less than good mood, to put it lightly.  The fact that the youkai was smirking at her didn't help much either.

Rin's atrocious table manners calmed her down a bit as she taught the girl the importance of chopsticks as something besides a tool to poke Jaken with.  After they ate, Sesshoumaru told her to rest; they would continue their lessons later when it was cooler.  Gratefully, Kagome obeyed, and headed off to her room for a nap.  But then, Rin caught up to her.

***

The next few weeks went much the same as the first, with a few exceptions.  Kagome was now almost constantly covered with small cuts and bruises.  Sesshoumaru considered his decision to train her with live steel a good one.  He was always careful only to scratch her, but the lesson was well learned, and she was progressing faster than she would have if all she had to show for her mistakes were a few bruises.  Kagome continued to progress through harder and harder katas; and slowly, she learned to ignore the distraction of his own practices.  Rin's increasing frequent interruptions still affected her however, even though she was no longer **stopping** to talk to the child.  The only reason that the youkai didn't complain was that the fact that she could learn a kata while carrying on a conversation was fascinating.

After about two weeks, Sesshoumaru was nearly ready to allow them to begin their journey.  As he strode down the hall to wake Kagome up (he had stopped sending Jaken after she had nearly killed him with her newfound strength), the demon lord reviewed everything that he had taught her.  Considering what she had learned, he wouldn't be happy with expecting her to defend herself, but for something very strange that she had done a few days ago…

She had left her right shoulder glaringly open as she leapt back from his attack.  As usual, he was beating the crap out of her, which was obvious by her various bleeding scratches and heavy breathing.  He lunged forward to remind her to watch her shoulder, but at the same time, she sprung towards him as well.  He had only meant to scratch her, but with her unexpected move, the sword point dug deeply into her shoulder.  Guilt flashed through him as he pulled back, only to realize that the blade of her glaive was resting on his neck in the 'kill' position…

He had told her to take the rest of the day off after he bandaged her arm up, but a few hours later, she was back out in the dojo, practicing her katas.  The bandage on her arm had turned bright red from her exercises, and after watching for a moment, Sesshoumaru had silently intervened, grabbed the protesting Kagome by her uninjured arm and dragged her to her room, threatening to tie her to her bed if she didn't rest.

But he had been proud of her, and the very fact that she had sacrificed her arm in order to win impressed him.  He hadn't thought that the girl whom he had perceived as his brother's wench to be anything more than a soft, defenseless whore whom Inu-Yasha had picked up along the way for some fun.  It was obvious that there was a lot more to her than that.  It had immediately become obvious the second that she had walked through his study door.

Sliding open the door to her room, the youkai started as he realized that she wasn't there.  He frowned, but it was pretty obvious were she was.  Turning from the empty room, he headed for the dojo.

***

Kagome was there, practicing her latest kata … or trying to.  She seemed to be having some trouble, what exactly became obvious as the youkai neared her.  Without a word, he slipped up behind her, repositioning her hands and nudging her feet with his to put her in the proper position.  Holding her close, he ran through the form, taking her with him.

When they got through the part that she had been having trouble with, she exclaimed, "That's what I was doing wrong!"  She twisted slightly in his grasp and grinned up at him.  "Thanks, Sesshoumaru."  For a moment, she reminded him of Rin in her happiness.  Until suddenly, she blushed, realizing how close they were.  Sesshoumaru let go of her almost immediately, as he too, seemed to realize their proximity.

Kagome smiled at him again, "Did I wake you?  I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to practice."

"You've been out here all night?"

"It's morning?"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes in despair.  "We are going to have to work on your sense of time."

Kagome blinked at looked at the sky, "It is morning.  Whoa."

The youkai nearly had to fight to keep from laughing at the sight before him.  The tiny thing that he had sworn to protect had her head tilted back to look at the waning night sky, and a glaive held loosely in one hand.  The contrasting pictures of innocence and deadly beauty formed a very interesting – albeit accurate – visage.

Yes, Kagome was a lot like his little Rin at times, curious almost to a fault, always asking questions, innocent, or seemingly so.  And yet, she had another side to her; one that had seen death and pain and suffering; one that had survived, and become stronger because of what it had been through.  The duality intrigued him, partially because he recognized some of it in himself, although to a much lesser degree, and partially because it was so obvious.  One only had to look at the girl's face to see her thoughts, Sesshoumaru knew from first-hand experience.  Despite the fact that they hardly spoke, or even saw one another, when they were not practicing, he felt as though he had known the girl for far longer than the two weeks that they had been together.  And all that he had learned only left him wondering about what he couldn't see.

"Show me the kata," the demon lord commanded, shaking his disturbing thoughts away.  He didn't want to get to know this girl; all he wanted was the Tetsusaiga.  Kagome obeyed, running through the form that she had been practicing all night and this time doing it right.  He nodded in approval, grabbing his sword.  They sparred for a bit, and then Sesshoumaru sent her off to get some rest.

"By the way," he added just as Kagome stepped out of the door, "We'll be leaving tomorrow."  Kagome nodded once in acknowledgement before heading – predictably – for the baths.


	2. You Live Where?

*glomps reviewers*  Thankies for reviewing!  I put review responses at the end so that everyone didn't have to scroll forever to get to the story.

Notes for this chap: Wow, only two days since my last chapter.  I think that this is a record for me.  It may take me a little while to get the next chapter out though because I have to figure out where I am going with this, not to mention school may get in the way.  I have already started chapter three though, so we'll see.

*grin* Angst and sexual tension, what more can you ask for?  Truth be told, I hadn't intended for the attraction between them to come out so soon, but with any luck, *glares at muses* it'll subside for a while so that they can become friends.  And for those of you who wanted some sappy moments, I'm planning a few, though they aren't romantic … yet.

Oh yeah, and the other characters (Inu-Yasha and the rest) are going to be in this fic eventually, in case anyone was wondering.

Two questions: Can anyone tell me how much of the jewel Naraku has?  I got the idea that he gathers a lot, but I wasn't sure how much.  Also, how old is Rin?

Thanks much and please review.  I love feedback!

Promises

Chapter 2: You Live Where?

"Where is that girl?" Sesshoumaru hissed to himself as he strode down the hall of his castle, looking for Kagome.  She wasn't in her room, the baths were empty, and he was beginning to run out of options.  They were supposed to leave in the morning, and he had no clue were his charge was!

Needless to say, the youkai lord was a little frustrated.  Just a little.

A light in the hall ahead that shouldn't have been there caught his attention.  It originated from his small personal library.  Pushing the door open, he wasn't surprised to see the girl that he had been looking in there.  What did surprise him was that she was curled up on some cushions, reading one of his more archaic books.

When he entered, she barely looked up before returning to her reading.  Rin was in the corner with a portable writing desk on her lap, doodling, or something.  The child was hardly as unaffected by his presence.  Kagome just barely managed to grab the ink before Rin jumped up, spilling the contents of her lap all over the floor.

Rushing toward her surrogate father, she held up a piece of paper that she had kept a hold of for inspection.  "Look Sesshoumaru-sama!  Kagome-chan has been teaching Rin how to write pretty!"  Obediently, the youkai scanned over the scratch marks on the parchment.

"Very nice Rin," he said after a moment.  "Now it's time for your bath."

The child pouted, "But Sesshoumaru-sama!  Rin wants to play!"

"Now Rin."

Kagome looked on in amazement while still pretending to read.  Sesshoumaru betrayed no emotion, but the mere fact that he didn't strike her down where she stood for arguing with him spoke volumes.  His little motions that she would have never noticed before were as clear as the words in the book that she held.

He cared about Rin, she realized.  He actually cared.

In a way, it didn't really surprise her.  She had come here with the fact that he was taking care of Rin in mind; in fact, she had counted on that to weaken his hatred of humans.  But knowing and seeing are two totally different things, as Kagome soon found out as she watched the demon lord uneasily return the affection that Rin so readily provided.

"Please Sesshoumaru-sama!  Rin has to finish her lesson from Kagome-chan," the child was begging.

Kagome stifled a chuckle under her hand at the expression on Sesshoumaru's face.  He obviously wanted to yell at the child for disobeying him, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt her feelings.  It wasn't as obvious as that of course, but Kagome had become practiced at reading his expression.  She had to learn, for when they fought.

"Rin-chan, if you go take your bath now and get into bed, I'll tell you a story," Kagome said without looking up.  Rin squealed and rushed off to do as she was told.  Only then did she look up at the demon that stood in the doorway of the library.  She refused to say anything else, though.  That was the way between them: they didn't speak a word more than was necessary.  In a way, they didn't have to.

"Have you packed?" he asked, in order to break the silence that was becoming uncomfortable.

"Pack what?" Kagome replied calmly.  "All I have is my glaive."

Sesshoumaru nodded as he sat down on the floor next to her, looking pointedly at the book in her hands.  Kagome closed it with a sigh, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to finish any more tonight.  "I had an idea about the sword," she began after a moment.  The demon snapped his attention to her instantly and she fidgeted under the intensity of his gaze.  "Well, the seal anyway."  She opened the book, using it as an excuse to tear her gaze from the disturbing gold one.  "Look at this, I think that this is the kind of seal that your father put on Tetsusaiga."

Sesshoumaru only took one glance at the page before looking back up at the girl in wonder, "You can read this?"

Kagome blinked, "Of course I can, why wouldn't I…" she trailed off as she looked back down at the page.  While reading earlier, she had been so intent on the content of the book that she hadn't noticed that the kanji were all wrong.  The book wasn't in Japanese, and yet, the words came as easily to her as if they were in her native language.

"It's an ancient dog-youkai script.  Very few people know it today," Sesshoumaru explained softly as he watched the girl run her fingers over the writing, not quite believing what was there.  She was scared; the bitter tang of fear rolled off of her in waves.  "What were you saying about the sword?" the demon lord prompted.  While it was certainly an amazing discovery that she had the gift of tongues, her fear disturbed him for some reason.

"Umm, oh yeah.  The seal that your father placed on Tetsusaiga."  Kagome blinked and looked up at him once more.  "It's unusual, and complicated, but to make a long story short, I think that whomever released the sword from its prison – in this case me – has a limited amount of control over who wields it.  Basically, even though your father wanted Inu-Yasha to wield the sword, had I given it to you, Inu-Yasha would have never been able to touch it.  Of course, you wouldn't have been able to use it unless you were protecting a human, for that is the condition under which Tetsusaiga transforms."

Sesshoumaru frowned in thought, "So you are saying that if you give the sword to me, I will be able to use it?"

"To protect a human, yes," Kagome corrected.  "But more importantly, I think I can make it so that Inu-Yasha can't wield it anymore."

_You really hate him, don't you,_ Sesshoumaru wanted to say, _what did my idiot brother do to you to cause this hatred?_  But he didn't, because for one thing, it was none of his business, and for another, he didn't really care, or at least, he wasn't **supposed** to care.

"Kagome-chan!" Rin called from the doorway, wrapped in a towel, but otherwise soaking wet and dripping puddles on the floor.  They could hear Jaken down the hall, cursing about human spawn.  "Rin is going to bed now!"

Kagome chuckled and rose, slipping the old text back onto the shelf where she had found it.  "I'm coming Rin," she called back before turning back to the demon lord.  "I promised to tell her a story," came the apologetic explanation.  Kagome bowed, "See you in the morning, Sesshoumaru-sama."  The youkai inclined his head in response, and Kagome left.

Sesshoumaru watched her leave thoughtfully.  Yes, this was going to be an interesting journey.

***

The next morning dawned bright and early.  For the first time in over a week, Jaken came to wake Kagome.  From past experience, he knew to knock very loudly before entering her room with a fresh travel outfit that was exactly the same as the first one that Sesshoumaru had given her.

Placing the clothes on a nearby chair at Kagome's glare, the toad demon rushed out of the room as fast as possible, before Kagome decided to use him for target practice.  He was very glad that he would not be accompanying them on their journey.  But then again … he had to put up with a bored Rin for who knew how long.

Leading Kagome out to the courtyard, his jaw nearly fell off as he saw the human child attached to Sesshoumaru-sama's legs and sobbing her eyes out.  He was about to go forcibly remove the little girl from his master when the woman behind him chuckled and beat him to it.

Kagome managed to transfer Rin's sobbing grasp to herself and spoke a few words to the upset girl, backed up by Sesshoumaru.  With a few last sniffles, Rin calmed down, and – to his horror – Jaken found the girl being given to him.

His master passed on the usual threats for the child's safety, and they were gone.  Just like that.

Looking down, the toad demon saw that the little girl's tearful expression had been replaced with a wicked, playful grin.

In the following weeks, Jaken discovered the ultimate torture: dress up.

***

They made good time the first day, heading towards Kaede's village since Kagome wanted to stop by her home first.  And of course, Sesshoumaru wanted his sword.  Though he made it perfectly clear that there was no way in the hells that he was going to trek back and forth to her home constantly.

That night, the demon lord called at halt at a small grove of trees upon seeing Kagome's weariness.  Despite that, Kagome protested.  She had a sick feeling in her gut, like something bad was happening at home.  And even if nothing was wrong, she had been gone for well over a month, and her family was probably worried about her.

"Sleep," Sesshoumaru said unsympathetically after she presented her arguments. "You won't do your family any good if you run yourself down," he added when it looked like she was going to cry.

Sulkily, because she knew he was right, Kagome curled up on one side with her back to the demon.  Behind her, she could hear the subtle shift of fabric as he moved and a soft thump when he leaned over to set the glaive within arms reach.  "Don't let this out of your sight," he reminded her harshly before turning and moving to a more appropriate distance.  Wrapping her hands around the wood staff, she sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to take Sesshoumaru's advice.

She must have slept, for the next thing she remembered was waking up shivering.  Something was wrong; she wasn't sure how she knew, but she knew that something was wrong.  Tightening her hands on her glaive, she closed her eyes and listened.

An owl hooted in triumph as he caught his prey.  Somewhere in this distance, a horse and wagon clattered, but it wouldn't pass anywhere close.  Crickets chirped; the wind blew.  All was quiet, safe.  And yet, Kagome still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong … missing perhaps.

That was it!  She couldn't hear the quiet sound of the demon breathing that had lulled her to sleep.  Against better instincts, she twisted around in one sudden movement.

Sesshoumaru was gone.

Blinking to clear the last bits of sleep from her eyes, Kagome sat up fully; checking to make sure that the youkai wasn't elsewhere in their campsite.  The remains of the fire that Sesshoumaru had started had gone out, the reason for her chill.  There was an indent in the leaves that covered the ground where the missing demon had sat, but he was nowhere to be seen.

_Use your instincts,_ the youkai had told her one day, _you may only be human, but even you have a nose and ears, use them to the full extent of your limited ability._  Kagome obeyed now, sniffing the air, even though she felt foolish doing so.  She was only a human, what could she smell?  She could see though, she realized as the moon came out (she hadn't even noticed before that it was behind the clouds).  Light glistened on the wet footprints that someone had left in the leaves, recently.

Figuring it was as good a bet as any, Kagome followed them through the grove.  When the moon once more hid behind the threatening clouds, she had to stop.  There was nothing else to follow except for those tracks, and she didn't want to miss a turn.  While she waited - her eyes fixed on the last point of her trail that she had seen - she wondered why the prints were wet.  Had it rained while she slept?  It couldn't have, she was still dry.  Although, the air was a little more humid than it had been.

The moon appeared once more, and Kagome made better time now that she knew what to look for.  In minutes, she was on the other side of the clearing.  Looking up, she stopped short and nearly ducked behind a tree.

In the moonlight, he looked like a god, standing there radiating beauty.  He practically glowed against the dark background with an aura of tranquility.  Just standing, with his back to her, looking out at the world.  She couldn't figure out why.  Kagome let out a breath when she realized that she was holding it.

_This is stupid,_ she scolded herself, _sure he's beautiful, but he's also a cold insensitive bastard.  You have a better chance getting Miroku to become celibate.  Don't fall for him Kagome; you'll just hurt yourself again._

That settled, the girl took a deep breath and walked over to her companion.  Quietly, though, lest she disturb whatever he was doing.  When she was about twenty feet away, he spoke.

"What are you doing awake?"  Despite his calm stance, his tone was almost accusing.  Furiously, Kagome squashed a thread of pain that threatened to worm its way though her heart.

"I was cold," she replied, wishing that he would turn around so that she could see his face.  Then, as if to back up her statement, a fierce wind blew past, and she shivered.

"Oh," he said sounding bored.  Then, "It's only a few hours until dawn, do you want to go?"

"Okay."  He turned without warning, golden eyes boring into her for a **very** uncomfortable second, before he appeared next to her and picked her up.  Kagome yelped in surprise, and Sesshoumaru glared down at her.

"Quiet, it'll be faster this way."  He rose into the air suddenly, and Kagome threw an arm around his neck for balance with a squeak.  He was damp, she realized, flexing her fingers in his hair almost absently.  Damp, but warm.  She yawned and twisted slightly into a more comfortable position.  Before she realized it, she was asleep.

***

What was he **thinking**?

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the sleeping girl in his arms and snorted in disgust.  Not at her, pathetic weak human that she was, but at himself, for being attracted to her.

Before, before Rin, he would have never looked twice at a human female, no matter how attractive they were.  He didn't, the first time they had met.  Until she had drawn the Tetsusaiga from its resting place, he hadn't even known she was there.  Before Rin, he would have killed her the instant she had set foot in his study, seeking his help.

When had he become so weak, so soft?  He wanted to blame it on Rin.  He wanted to, but there had to have been a chink in his armor before for her to wiggle her way through.  He told himself that Rin was special; that she wasn't a sign of weakness.  Not that he believed it, even for a second.

And then this, this **woman** had to come to him with wide eyes and a sassy mouth to shatter his invisible armor that protected him from human influence.  It hadn't been too bad the first two weeks.  But naturally – with his luck – she just had to go into heat the moment that they were alone.

In his haste to get her home so that he could dump her there until her heat passed, he had forgot the closeness that was required.  And the smell, which had so saturated his senses that he was sure he would never get it out.

Shivering, Kagome snuggled closer to him, and the youkai nearly felt out of the sky.  Glaring down at her, he regained his altitude and growled, picking up speed.  Kagome only snuggled closer.

For a fateful instant, Sesshoumaru struggled with the temptation to land, tear off Kagome's clothes, and …

But he conquered his instincts, just barely.  He didn't want to mate with this girl; he wanted to get her home, because the faster they got there, the faster she could finish and the faster they could gather the rest of the jewel and go their separate ways.

There was no point in getting attached to her, he reasoned.  They wouldn't even be together that long.

Somehow, the words that should have been reassuring seemed like a hollow excuse in his mind.

***

Kagome started awake as pain shot up her rear end.  Struggling up, she found herself at Sesshoumaru's feet.  "Oww," she whined as she stood, rubbing her butt where she had landed on it, "Wha'did you do **that** for?"

"We're here."

Kagome started as she saw the God-tree.  Standing, she glared at her protector.  "So?  You didn't have to drop me."

"You wouldn't wake up," Sesshoumaru explained.  If she didn't know better, she would have said that he was uncomfortable.  She didn't have a chance to say anything, however, for the demon was quick to cross his arms across his chest and turn toward the direction of the village.  "I still don't see how you come from a place like **that**," he snorted, obviously trying to change the subject.

Kagome smirked.  She supposed that she had let Sesshoumaru believe that she was from the village.  But in actuality, she wasn't exactly sure how to tell him that she lived five hundred years in the future and hopped through a well that ate demon bones to travel back and forth.  _Ah well, might as well just spit it out._  "I'm not actually from the village."

He turned back to face her, one eyebrow raised in a mildly interested expression.  "Oh really?  Then where do you live?"

Kagome turned in the direction of the well with a playful grin, "Come on and I'll show you."  _A picture **is** worth a thousand words._

A few moments later, the youkai was staring down the well with an open look of incredulity on his face.  "This is your home?"

"Umm, sorta," Kagome said nervously, trying to figure out how to explain this.  Sesshoumaru smirked at her discomfort and leaned up against the wooden structure to wait for her explanation.  "The well is a portal, and my house in on the other side."  He quirked at eyebrow at her, and Kagome sighed, handing her glaive to the demon.  "Here.  You'll see in a minute what I'm talking about.  I'll be back in a few hours, ok?  Please wait for me here and try not to get into too much trouble."  She grinned at him cockily.

The youkai smirked back at her and inclined his head in acknowledgement.  "Two hours."

With one last grin, Kagome jumped down the well and disappeared.  Sesshoumaru blinked.  An interdimensional well, what possibilities.

***

"Mom!  Souta!  Grandpa!  I'm back!"  Kagome threw open the door to her home and nearly cried from the familiarity of it all.  Five weeks she had been away, and it felt like five years.

When only silence greeted her enthusiastic cries, Kagome began to get worried.  A quick look around assured her that the family hadn't gone on a trip: her mom was an obsessive neat freak and would never leave the house for an extended period of time as messy as it was now.  Not that that was a total comfort, for the mere fact that Souta's toys were strewn about the living room was unusual.

Slowly, she scouted the rooms and finally found what she was looking for on her desk in her bedroom: a note from her mother.

Kagome,

            I don't know if you will ever read another one of my notes again, but I will continue to write these, hoping that you will come home to read them.

            Souta and I are out for the night, and we should be back sometime early afternoon tomorrow.  I hope that you will be here when we get back.

            I miss you and I love you,

                        Mom

Checking the date on her clock, she assured herself that the letter was indeed dated yesterday.  It was one in the afternoon.  Kagome bit her lip in thought, should she go back through the well and warn Sesshoumaru that she might be later than expected, or should she wait?

Finally, she decided to take a bath, and wash her clothes for good measure.  If her family weren't back by the time that she had done everything than she would go back and beg the demon lord to wait a little longer.

Something still bothered her though.  Her mom's letter had only mentioned Souta and herself.  So where was Grandpa?  A sick feeling settled in her gut as a list of things that could have happened to him ran ruthlessly through her mind.  Even when she tried to convince herself that he could only be out of town for a few days, it stayed.  Not even a bath would wash the awful thoughts from her mind.

Her clothes were in the dryer, and Kagome had just curled up on the couch to watch some TV when her mother and little brother walked through the door.  For almost a full minute, they stopped dead, looking as though they had seen a ghost.  The spell was broken when Souta launched himself at his sister with a cry.  The next ten minutes were chaos as everyone tried to ask questions at once, hug formerly missing family members, and generally reunite.  Finally, Kagome's mom got them situated at the kitchen table so that things could be sorted out.  Kagome got to start since she had a lot of explaining to do.

She told her family that they had found out about the existence of a shard Honshu, and it had taken a long time to get there because they had to go on foot across the land, and then find a way to hire a boat.  She hadn't been able to come back to warn them because they had been too far away to trek back to the well just for a few hours.

Kagome was actually rather proud of her acting job as she told the story, making it up as she went.  For a few fleeting moments, she thought that she had gotten away with the white lie, until her mom asked Souta to go upstairs to finish his homework.  Then she knew she was in trouble.

"All right, what **really** happened?"  Her mom said as she rose to make them some tea.

Kagome dry washed her hands nervously, and cleared her throat while trying to think of a way to begin.  She had always told her mom everything, but this was different.  How was she supposed to tell her mom that she had run away from Inu-Yasha and joined forces with his hated half-brother anyway?

Taking a deep breath, Kagome started at the point when she met up with Sesshoumaru at his castle.  Only, she described him as a demon that she had met along the way, and sort of skimmed over the details of her last fight with Inu-Yasha.

Once she was done, her mom sighed, setting a cup of tea in front of her and sitting down.  "Well, Kagome, I'm glad you're all right.  We were very worried about you."

Kagome blinked.  That was it?!  She disappears for five weeks and comes home, lies, gets caught, and that was all her mother had to say?  She bowed her head, ashamed at her actions.  Mom could be so forgiving some times, and she didn't even deserve it.  "I'm sorry, Mother.  I didn't mean to be gone so long."

Kagome's mother placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, forcing her daughter to look up.  "I understand that this is hard for you, and I also know that you need to go back and gather these shards.  In truth, I'm proud of you for taking such responsibility."

Kagome's head dropped again, tears threatening to fall.  "Mom," she began shakily, "I … I'm not going to be able to go back and forth all the time anymore."

"I expected that.  Sooner or later."  Kagome blinked up at her, and her mom smiled back.  "It just means that you'll be done with this whole thing faster."

Without warning, Kagome launched herself at her mother, tears falling freely now.  "Thanks Mom, for understanding."  The older woman patted her daughter's back comfortingly.  Suddenly, Kagome jerked back.  "Where's grandpa?"

Her mother's face fell, and she gently guided her confused daughter back into her chair.  "Kagome," she said nervously.  "Your grandfather is in the hospital.  He had a stroke."

Next chapter:  Kagome's family has more fun with Fluffy's tail than they did with Inu's ears…

Little Sister: Thanks!  I'm glad that you liked it!  I kinda figured that Sesshy was a little off, but he's really hard to write, ya know?  As for the romance bit, you can look forward to some, but it won't be for a while.

p-120: Thanks so much!  I love your story Clumsy!  Now it's your turn to write a new chapter. *grin*

trinacat16: Determination?  I never thought off that.  (Actually, I was kinda bored. ^_^;)  Thanks for reviewing!

NinjaRage: Thanks!  As for Inu … well, you'll just have to wait and see. =P

phoebemoon: Fluff is coming, don't worry. *winks*  Thanks for the review!

ashlee: Thanks so much!

MoonFairy: *blushes* All those compliments are going to my head. *giggle* Thank you!

Tegasus: Thanks! More's coming!

Akuryu Skadi: Ahh!  I'm being stalked! Here's some more, hope you like it!

Itadakimasu: Thanks! There will be more about Inu and the others eventually. *grin*

Emcron: *glomps* Thanks!  Now it's your turn to write an Inu-Yasha fic. ^__^

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knives: Thank you for reviewing!


	3. And Don't Call Me Fluffy!

Oi minna-san!  *waves happily*  Look who came to visit!  *grabs Sesshy's shirt and drags him out on screen*

Sesshy: Came for a visit my ass… *grumble*grumble*

Landlady: And it's a cute ass too! *cute little grin, er, make that wide evil grin*

B0b: (to J0rge) Yup, someone definitely got into the catnip again.

J0rge: I told you so.

Sesshy: *running frantically away from Landlady who is trying to glomp him*  Damn Bitch!  Let me out of this hellhole!  *slams into computer screen, banging his fists on the glass furiously*  Is anyone there?  For the love of Kami, get me out of here!!!!  *turns to muses*  Get me out of here or I swear I'll…  *poison begins to drip from his fangs*

B0b: Pah.  You're just pissed because you fell for the 'trail of dog treats leading to a cage routine'.

J0rge: *discreetly trips Landlady who is still chasing after Sesshy*

LL: *sits up rubbing the huge bump on her head*  Oww… *looks around* What happened?

Sesshy: *stops trying to back away* You mean you don't remember?

B0b: You put catnip in the spaghetti sauce again.

LL: Catnip?  I thought that was Oregano!

J0rge: Well, that explains a lot.

Disclaimer (cause I forgot to do one last time): I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of its characters.  I am, however, temporarily holding Sesshy-kun hostage.  He's allowed to leave as soon as he can find a way home. *snickers* It's a good thing for me that the feudal era has no concept of cyber-space.

Author's Notes: I'd just like to say that I'm really, really sorry about the end of this chapter.  In case you couldn't tell, I've been really hyper for some reason lately (It must be all your great reviews! … or something I ate), and things got a little … screwy, for lack of a better word.  Oh well, if you guys thinks it's too out there then I'll change it, but otherwise, I think it's pretty funny, so it's going to stay. (Plus I'm a lazy.)  Please review!  And thank you all for reading!  Oh yea, and Inu-kun and the others make an appearance too!

Promises

Chapter 3: And Don't Call Me Fluffy!

Sesshoumaru, the demon lord of the Western Lands, had the patience of a rock.  His long life had taught him that it was often better to wait than to rush into something unprepared.  He had won countless battles that way; it was part of the reason why he had lived when his father had died.

But for some reason, he couldn't seem to sit still while he waited for Kagome to come back.  Part of it was the smells that saturated the surrounding air; the God-tree wasn't so far away that he couldn't detect the stench of his half-brother that still lingered there even after a year and a half.  Every few moments, the wind blew by and he had to reassure himself that his brother wasn't really anywhere near.  The mixing scents of the other two humans and the kitsune didn't help matters.

That wasn't the entire source of his discomfort, however, but the rest was a little hard to pin down.  Curiosity came to mind; Kagome hadn't really said anything about what was on the other side of the well, particularly what the dangers were.  Sesshoumaru wasn't a fool.  He knew that every place had its share of hazards, and a frail human like Kagome was susceptible to most of them.

_Don't be stupid,_ the youkai growled to himself.  Kagome knew her own world better than he did, and after all, she had managed to survive the majority of her life there.  She should be fine, not that he really cared as long as she came back alive.  That was all he had promised: her life for the sword.

But she was late.  Not excessively so, ten minutes at the most, but long enough to cause all sorts of "what ifs" to run through his mind.

Tossing his head to drive the thoughts from his mind, Sesshoumaru's keen hearing picked up the faint sound of voices.  "Are you sure, Inu-Yasha?  She could have come back weeks ago…"  "She's here now.  I'm sure of it!"

The demon's eyes widened slightly.  Impossible!  How could they have gotten so close without him realizing it?  Then he noticed the direction they were coming from: upwind.  He growled softly, debating.  If he stayed, there would be no way to avoid an altercation, not that he was necessarily opposed to one.  If he left, Kagome would come back to Inu-Yasha and the others waiting for her, and there was a chance that she would violate their deal and go back to his treacherous half-brother.

Sesshoumaru glanced down the well.  Kagome **was** late.  Assuming that the portal would allow him to pass, it would be the perfect solution; he could warn Kagome and satiate his curiosity at the same time.  And if he couldn't pass, then the well would be the perfect place to hide and wait to spring.

Without a second thought, he jumped.

Inu-Yasha was the first to step (well, bound) into the little clearing that housed the well.  His hackles rose immediately, and unconsciously, he growled.

"What is it, Inu-Yasha?" a worried Miroku asked, looking around for the source of the dog-demon's anger.  All he saw were his companions on this strange journey that he had got himself into.  With the exception of Kikyo, they were all – including Inu-Yasha – showing signs of exhaustion.  Ever since Kagome had disappeared over a month ago, they had been chasing after her.  Or trying to, she had led them on a wild goose chase until Inu-Yasha had finally lost her scent, somewhere west of here.  It was only when they were headed back that the half-demon had picked it up again, leading towards the well.

Miroku took the moment to study Inu-Yasha discreetly.  He seemed to be taking Kagome's disappearance harder than he let on, despite the fact that he let Kikyo travel with them.  For her part, the corpse apparently had no preference as to whether they found her reincarnation or not, even though Miroku was sure that she had something to do with the girl's disappearing act.

Iun-Yasha will still growling, and finally Sango snapped, "Did she go down the well or not?"

The half-demon blinked and seemed to deflate, his exhaustion showing through.  "She did.  And Sesshoumaru went with her."

***

For a moment, Sesshoumaru thought that he was still in his time.  He looked up expecting to see the sky, and maybe some trees, only to realize that there was some type of wooden roof over his head.  _Looks like it worked after all,_ he thought with a smirk as he jumped out of the well and surveyed his surroundings.  _Only humans would build a house for a well._

Following Kagome's scent outside, he stopped dead.  The smell, the **noise**, for a moment, he was stunned, unable to move, to speak.  But he was a demon, and like all long-lived creatures, he adapted well.  He had too.

Drawing upon years of training, he tuned out the unwanted scents, focusing on Kagome's unique one.  He followed it to a house … or was it a shrine?  He found it odd that this building alone of all those that he could see looked more like it belonged in his time.  But it smelled old, and he remembered at time when he was young and he first came upon a demon castle that was being restored.  Apparently, humans in this world had more than a little respect for their past.

Coming to the door, where the girl's scent was sharpest, his ears picked up her voice.  "Is he going to be ok?"  The demon was startled by the tremble in her voice, like she was about to cry.  Not even when he had almost killed her upon their first meeting had she sounded so unsure.  A quieter voice murmured something reassuring, and he could smell salt tears as well as hear the sounds of muffled sobs.

As he stood outside the door, arms crossed, wondering if he should announce his presence, the door flung open to reveal a shocked, teary-eyed Kagome.  "Sessh-Sesshoumaru.  What are you doing here?"

He looked down his nose at her, no emotion showing on his face.  "You are late."

The girl looked back at something and winced.  "I guess I am.  Sorry."

"Kagome?  Who's at the door?" someone called from within.  Kagome answered with his name, and the woman, presumably her mother, replied, "Oh!  Well invite him in!"

She turned back to him with a blush painting her cheek, "Umm, would you like to come in?"

He inclined his head in reply, and she stepped back to let him inside.  Sesshoumaru blinked; despite the outward appearance of the house, the inside was much different than what he was used to.  Suddenly, he realized that Kagome was introducing him to her mother.  He inclined his head to her – his version of a bow – and went back to studying the room.  From the corner of his eye, he noticed Kagome frown at his behavior, not that he cared.  She nudged her mother into another room with a silent request and stalked over to him.

"Funny.  I was under the impression that you had manners."

He glared at her for a moment before returning to more interesting sights.  "You were wrong."

"Right.  Well, since you don't seem to keen on leaving anytime soon-"

"I don't intend to say here forever," he interrupted, running a finger over the television.  "What is this?"

Kagome sighed loudly and flopped down onto the couch.  For a moment, he thought that she wasn't going to say anything, until she blurted out, "My grandfather is in the hospital.  I have to go see him before I can go."

Sesshoumaru turned, a slight frown creasing his forehead.  "Hospital?"

"He's sick.  He might be dying."  Her fists clenched at her sides and the youkai could tell that she was holding back tears.

He couldn't stand the sight.  Crossing the three feet to where she was sitting, he gently wiped the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.  Her head jerked up, surprise evident in her eyes, mixed with gratitude.  "Don't do that," he snapped, his tail twitching in irritation.  The feelings that her tears provoked bothered him; it wasn't like him to want to comfort a mere human girl.

A flash of pain washed over her eyes before she wiped it – and the rest of her tears – away with the back of her hand.  With a fake smile plastered firmly on her face, she nearly told him off before her mother came back from the kitchen and cut her off.

"Kagome?  Is your friend going to come with us?"

The girl shot Sesshoumaru a questioning look, and he shrugged.  "I guess he is Mom."  To the demon she said, "I can't very well leave you here to destroy my house now can I?"  He chose not to dignify that with an answer.

Suddenly, a blur shot down the stairs and would have barreled into him if his reflexes were even a little slower.  A young boy screeched to a stop in front of him.  "Hey!  You're not Inu-Yasha!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed.  Kagome noticed the growing murderous look in his eyes and stood, grabbing her little brother out of immediate danger.  "Souta!  Where are your manners?"  At the same time, she sent him a look that said, _don't piss him off._  He seemed to the get message.  He bowed with a contrite apology, and the demon lord seemed to relax a bit.  Kagome introduced him as her brother before shoving him off to get their mother to explain things.

"Inu-Yasha is his hero," she explained when Souta was out of sight.

"Then I pity his foolishness," Sesshoumaru replied as he proceeded to fix the ruffles that Souta's sudden arrival had made in his perfect appearance.

He was just rewrapping his tail in its usual position when Kagome's mother once again returned.  Sesshoumaru didn't make anything of it until she commanded, "Hold it right there."  Kagome paled, and the demon lord was still trying to figure out what was wrong when he felt something – someone – petting his tail.  Sesshoumaru froze when she started tugging on it, exclaiming, "Ohh, it's real!"

"MOM!" Kagome exclaimed, correctly interpreting Sesshoumaru's silent warning as a 'get your mother away from me before I kill her'.  She tugged her mother away only for the woman to be replaced by Souta who very quickly attached himself so firmly to his appendage that Sesshoumaru was afraid that he would have to cut the boy off.

Maybe he should have stayed to fight his brother.  It would have been a lot less painful.

***

Kagome knew her family was not exactly what you would call normal.  She lived in a shrine, after all.  Her grandpa was a nut.  Her mom worked almost all the time, doing the jobs of two parents.  Souta was, well, Souta.  And she herself spent more time in a world other than in the one she was born in.  In short, Kagome had gotten used to her families little quirks.

But she had never been so mortified in her entire life.

One of the most dangerous and powerful demons in the entire Sengoku Jidai had found his way to her house, and her **mother** just had to go and pull his tail.  Why Sesshoumaru was being so tolerant with mere humans was beyond her, not that she was about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

When Souta attached himself to the youkai, Kagome nearly had a heart attack.  Sesshoumaru didn't even turn; he just lifted his tail – Souta along with it – and glared at the boy.  Souta grinned at him, and immediately launched into babble about how cool his tail was.  Kagome was pretty sure that he interjected a question about where he could get one, but he was talking to fast to be absolutely certain.

It was odd that the demon lord didn't merely shake the boy away.  But as Kagome got closer, she realized that he probably couldn't.  Just as she was about to grab her brother, Sesshoumaru sighed and began to answer his questions.  In response, Souta let go, but fired off a whole other round.  With a start, Kagome saw the similarity between Souta and Rin.  _So that's why…_ Kagome grinned wickedly at the realization.  Sesshoumaru had a soft spot for little kids!

Behind her, Kagome's mom cleared her throat impatiently, jingling her car keys.  In the end, Sesshoumaru agreed to stay at Kagome's house with Souta, who in turn promised to show him all the wonders of the modern world.  Retrospectively, as they walked through the halls of the hospital, Kagome decided that bringing Sesshoumaru here wasn't such a good idea after all.  There was no way in hell that she could have got him into modern clothes anyway.

Grandpa was thrilled to see her – especially because they had brought him something palatable to eat (he hated hospital food).  He looked terrible like that, hooked up to numerable machines, and barely able to move (his right side was paralyzed).  But for his sake, and for her mother's, Kagome willed herself not to cry.  Instead she smiled, and filled up his silence with her cheerful words.

They couldn't stay long; visiting hours in the ICU were strict and the nurse that was monitoring him kept to the rules.  Kagome let her mother bid Grandpa goodbye first and waited until she left with the nurse before giving him a hug of her own.  "Grandpa, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry.  For not ever listening to you before."  He smiled at her, patting her cheek with his left hand, and she hugged him again.  "I love you Grandpa," Kagome whispered, knowing that there was a very real chance that it would be her last chance to do so.

She had faced demons.  She had fought for her life many times.  She had made a deal with the figurative devil.  But if you asked her, Kagome would have said without hesitation that the hardest thing that she had ever done was walk out of that hospital room.

***

The sight that greeted them on the other side of the well was most certainly not one that either of them expected.  It looked as though a tornado had randomly sprung up and decided to do a little rearranging.  Most of the trees surrounding the well were in shards, huge chunks of what used to be tree trunks were scattered around the clearing.  And there seemed to be a new pathway to the village.

"Looks like my brother had a temper tantrum."

Kagome blinked, stunned, as she looked around at the mess.  _Inu-Yasha…_ Did he know that she had joined forces with Sesshoumaru?  Is that what had made him so angry?

Her companion seemed to be utterly unconcerned with the reason for the hanyou's unusual behavior.  He shoved the glaive into her hand roughly, and started on his way.  When Kagome didn't immediately follow, he turned and barked, "Come on wench.  We're leaving."

The girl snapped out of her trance immediately.  "You're just as bad as Inu-Yasha ever was!" she scolded as she jogged to keep up.  "I have a name you know!  It's Kagome!  Ka-go-me!"  The demon lord allowed a small chuckle to escape.  "Hey!  How would you like it if I started calling you Fluffy!"

Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks and growled.  "I am the Lord of the Western Lands, and you will address me properly wench."

Kagome passed him by, her glaive slung over her shoulder carelessly.  "Whatever you say Fluffy-sama."

"Wench…" he growled again, warningly.

Kagome turned, all wide-eyed innocence.  "Yes, Fluffy?  Is there something you need?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed.  Kagome raised an eyebrow at him, still faking innocence.  They stood in a good old-fashioned stand off for a few moments until Sesshoumaru finally looked away.  It was obvious that the girl wasn't going to back down easily, and calling her by name wasn't too big a deal – especially if it meant that he wasn't compared to his brother anymore.

He started walking again.  When he was a few feet ahead of her, he stopped and admonished his companion.  "Come on Kagome.  We have work to do."

The girl blinked a few times before she set off after the youkai with a grin.

***

"Get me the sword."

The girl blinked at Sesshoumaru.  "Now?"

"Of course now."  The demon lord crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at Kagome.  "We're here now."

Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that they were indeed only a little ways from the village.  Her mind raced for an excuse not to go down there at this very moment.  For one thing, she wasn't sure how much she trusted Sesshoumaru, despite her confident words before.  It wasn't that she didn't intend to keep her part of the bargain; she just wanted to be sure that Sesshoumaru would keep his.  And besides, she wasn't sure that she trusted herself around Inu-Yasha enough just yet to keep a straight face while doing what she had too to get Tetsusaiga away from him.

"I- I don't think that I can just yet," she blurted out when she noticed the youkai glaring at her.

He leaned down until they were just inches away from each other.  "You aren't backing out of your part of the deal are you?" he asked threateningly while idly flexing his claws.

Kagome gulped, leaning backwards involuntarily.  "Of course not.  I just haven't entirely figured out how I'm going to get the sword away from Inu-Yasha.  And besides," she continued, picking up speed, "he probably knows that we went down the well, right?  So he's waiting for us, and it would be better to strike when he least expects it.  Don't you agree?"

Sesshoumaru thought it over and found that he had to agree with her logic.  Instead of replying right away, he turned to look north.  "I heard of a rumor of what might be a jewel shard to the North.  Let's go check it out."  Without waiting for a reply, he strode off purposely, taking a route that would avoid the village altogether.

Kagome let out a breath that she had been holding in relief before bounding after him.  It seemed that her luck was holding out after all.

***

"And then Inu-Yasha tried to go after her, but the well wouldn't let him pass."  Shippou looked anxiously over at the furious hanyou who was pouting in the corner of Kaede's hut.  When Inu-Yasha had landed at the bottom of the well with a sharp thud, they had all been shocked, even Kikyo, who usually showed no emotion.

The walking corpse was sitting very close to Inu-Yasha, who didn't seem to care.  The kitsune couldn't understand why; she stunk of death, and her soul-stealers were creepy.  Kaede was pointedly ignoring her older sister, who was returning the favor.  She sat on the other side of the room at her worktable, crushing herbs while Shippou recounted the last few weeks.  Sango and Miroku were a comfortable distance away from one another (for Sango at least) by the fire.

Shippou turned back to the old priestess.  "So we came here after that."  He thought it a better idea not to go into detail about that part of the journey.  Never, in all the time that he had known Inu-Yasha, had he ever seen the dog-demon so angry.  Normally he would have teased him mercilessly, but without Kagome around, he had learned to let up a little.

"I see," the old woman replied, setting down her mortar and pestle to stir a pot on the fire.  In truth, she was worried.  Kagome was smart, and she had learned enough about this world to be able to find a way to take care of herself, especially if Sesshoumaru was with her.  Kaede didn't want to mention it aloud, but she had a feeling that the demon lord hadn't come to Kagome; rather, the truth was more the other way around.  If that was the case, then Kagome wasn't in any more immediate danger than she had been since she first came through the well, perhaps even less so.

No, Kagome wasn't what bothered her.  Rather, she was worried about Inu-Yasha.  Without Kagome around, she could only imagine what would happen when the dog-demon realized that he was more or less free of the spell.  Suppressing a shudder, she began to dish out food for everyone save her sister.

"Kaede-san, do you have any idea why the well wouldn't allow Inu-Yasha to go through?" Miroku asked quietly while they ate.  The old woman was pleased to note that the others were ignoring Kikyo – who probably would have been able to answer the question better – as well.  It wasn't that she held any resentment toward her sister; she still loved her as much as she ever had.  But Kikyo was dead, and this zombie was nothing more than an impersonation.

"There are a few possibilities," she said slowly.  "The well could have been sealed," here she made a point to glance at her sister's corpse, "or it simply cannot allow more than two people – including Kagome – through at any time."

"But we've never been able to go through," Shippou pointed out, indicating himself and the two humans whom he now sat between.

"As to that, child, I've no idea."

Inu-Yasha growled suddenly, standing upright and striding out of the hut.  Kikyo followed, calling out to him, but the dog-demon didn't turn.

Shippou bounded over to Inu-Yasha's bowl and, upon finding it still full, began to clean it out for him.  "He's been like that ever since we found part of a trail leading towards the well," the young kitsune explained helpfully at Kaede's questioning look.

She nodded slightly, rising to gather the dishes.  Sango and Miroku got up as well to help, and Shippou bounded over with Inu-Yasha's now empty bowl.  Suddenly, Sango grabbed the ladle out of the pot and beaned Miroku with it, leaving the monk with a very large lump on his head and a bemused expression on his face.

Sango shook the ladle at him.  "One more time, Houshi-sama, one more time and I'm going to cut that hand of yours off."

Kaede chuckled.  Some things would never change.

***

"Stop twitching," Sesshoumaru said for the thousandth time that morning.

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she growled, very much like a demon.  "Why do I have to learn to meditate anyway?"

"It helps you concentrate in battle, focus your power.  You'll be able to better control your innate powers," the demon explained.  "Close your eyes, deeps breaths, clear your mind."

Kagome obeyed, but not before she got off one last remark.  "That's easier said than done, you know."

Sesshoumaru knew, but he didn't say anything that would break her delicate concentration.  Instead, he scanned the surrounding area out of habit.  They were sitting in a large field several yards away from the road that they had been traveling on.  Sesshoumaru was sure that it had been a battlefield at one point; he could still smell the death lingering in the still air.  And the fact that Kagome had stepped on a spearhead was a good clue too.  Thankfully, she had brought back some very sturdy shoes from her time.

Snapping his attention back to the girl – and her shoes – he checked to make sure that she was at least trying to concentrate.  When a breeze blew past, she shivered and opened her eyes again.  The demon lord was sure that it was cold – it was getting well into autumn after all – not that he was bothered by such things.

"I'm hungry," Kagome informed him in a tone that said that she was done meditating.

Sesshoumaru stood gracefully, "If you insist on eating constantly, then I'm teaching you how to hunt."

The girl huffed as she used her glaive to hoist herself up.  "Hey!  I'm not a demon you know, and I need to eat!"

"If you'd stop bounding all over the place then you wouldn't burn as much energy," Sesshoumaru pointed out.  He turned without waiting for his answer and headed back towards the road.  Kagome stuck her tongue out at his back before going after him.  As soon as she had caught up with him, he began to give her pointers on catching prey.

Kagome cut him off halfway through, "Not that this isn't fascinating or anything, but why exactly are you telling me this?"

The youkai smirked, "Because you are catching dinner tonight."

Kagome burst out laughing, until she realized that Sesshoumaru was serious.  "Hey, you're kidding right?"

"You'd better get started if you want to eat tonight," was all he said.  Glancing up at the sky, he added, "It's getting dark."

"Fluffy!" Kagome protested when the demon settled down to wait.

He bit back a smile, "If you can't stomach hunting, how are you ever going to kill a demon?"

Kagome pouted, "But that's your job."

"I never said that I'd feed you."

"Fine!  When I get gnawed to death by a rabid wolf then it's your fault!"  Tightening a hand around her glaive, she stalked off.

Sesshoumaru leaned back against a rock and closed his eyes to wait.

***

Several hours later a muddy but happy Kagome stumbled back to where Sesshoumaru was waiting for her.  His eyes widened slightly as he took in her disheveled state, but he was careful not to say anything.  Proudly, she held up and equally muddy hare by the ears.

The demon sniffed, "Are you bleeding?"

Kagome plopped down with a sigh and held up her kill.  "He bit me."

"So you killed it," Kagome nodded, and Sesshoumaru pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and handed it to her.  She took it with a questioning look, "Now you get to skin it."

The girl looked from the dagger to the hare and back again.  "Eww, Sesshoumaru!"

The demon chuckled and leaned back again.  "Maybe you should wash it off first; there's a stream over there."

Grumbling the entire way, Kagome went off in the direction that the demon lord pointed.  Sesshoumaru nearly chuckled, again.  He didn't understand what it was about the girl, but she seemed to awaken his long-dead sense of humor.  It was odd though; he couldn't remember the last time he had wanted to laugh.

A shrill scream rang out through the clearing.  Before he realized what he was doing, the youkai was up and halfway to the stream.  Kagome was standing at the bank with the blade of her glaive pointed at something in the water.

"Gimme my rabbit back you freak!" she was screeching.  Sesshoumaru snorted when he saw what she was yelling at.

"You're freaking out over a kappa?" he asked her.

She spun with a shocked look.  "Fluffy!  He took my dinner, kill him!" she pointed behind her to the kappa, which was treading water with a bemused look on his face.

With a sigh, the demon lord leaned forward and plucked the hare out of the creature's grasp, handing it to Kagome.  A slash of his claws, and all that was left of the kappa was some bits that were rushed away by the water.  Kagome grinned at him, "Thanks Fluffy."

"You call me that again, and I'll let the next kappa who steals your dinner keep it."

Kagome sighed, "You're no fun, Fluf- I mean, Sesshoumaru."

He smirked at her.  "By the way, was there any reason why you couldn't have done that yourself?"

"Of course there is," Kagome informed him.  Sesshoumaru quirked his eyebrow at her in a silent 'Oh?'  "That thing was icky."

Next time on 'Promises': Kagome learns that coming out of a fight completely clean is harder than it looks…

LL: *bribing Sesshy with dog treats so he won't kill her*  So why exactly are you here?  I mean, besides the fact that you fell for one of the oldest tricks…

Sesshy: I get the point already!  Actually, I heard that your fic was pretty good, so I thought I'd come check it out.

LL: And…?

Sesshy: It was terrible!  You let a, a ten-year-old **glomp** my **tail**!  My tail is sacred; no one should be allowed to touch it!

LL: *sweatdrop* Someone seriously needs an attitude adjustment.

Review Responses:

Celestial: *grins* Does that answer your question? Thanks for reviewing!

lady love: Thank you! Thank you! *huggles* It's nice to know that someone reads my a/n. As for the characters, I really haven't decided who I'm gonna kill off yet (Kik's gotta go though, cuz she's already dead), but I know that Sesshy and Kagome live at least.  It would be kind of hard to write a romance between them if one of them kicks it, after all.  Thanks again!

Dijiil2: Here you go.  Thanks for reviewing!

Yuko: Glad you liked it! Thanks!

Amanda: Down the rabbit hole he goes… *blinks* Well, that was kind of random… Thanks for reviewing!

Little Sister: Your welcome!  Here's another response for you. *grin* I certainly couldn't make Sesshy hate Rin, she's just too darn cute!  'Sides it make for lots of Sesshy angst *evil chuckle* I mean… Sesshy won't hate Rin, yea, that's it!  Heh, well anyway, about Kagome's grandpa, I honestly haven't decided yet, but I am basing his stroke off of my Grandmothers, and she lived for somewhere around five or six years after her first stroke.  So really, I guess that it all depends on what kind of mood I'm in.  Oh yea, and Inu gets plenty of sense beaten into him in this fic. *grin* Thanks for coming back!

ashlee: o.O Kagome has youkai blood? Would you know what episode her grandpa explains that in so I can check it out? Thanks for the review!

Voldersnort: Thank you!  Here's another long chapter for you.  I know what you mean about short chaps too; I hate it when a story that I really, really like updates and it's only a paragraph, drives me crazy. (B0b: Too late.) As for the Tetsusaiga scene, it starts in chapter 6, cause I have to establish a friendship between Sesshy and Kagome first.  Thanks for reviewing!

tikimoof: Thanks for the review!  More coming soon!

Dark Star: *blushes* Thank you! Actually, I wasn't trying to write it for any particular appeal, but I'm something of a tomboy, so that's probably why it came out the way it did.  Thanks for reviewing! (both times! ^_^)

mc. UFO- N@OKI: Thanks for the review!  I really glad you liked it! ^____^

ditzyhooch: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!

Me..: Thanks for reviewing! Hope that you liked all the tail glomping goodness! *chuckles*

Quimberly: *grins* Here you are! Thanks!

NinjaRage: Here's some Inu-kun for you. And no review can ever be too long. Thanks for yours!

Pearl: Here's the next chapter for you. Glad you liked it!

Lee: Hehe, can't you just see Jaken in an oversized pink dress and too big high heels? I can, even though they didn't have high heels back then. *evil grin*  Oh yea, and wait until you see Kagome steal the Tetsusaiga from Inu-Yasha, if you like her now, you'll love her then.  Thanks for the review!

Ishi: I'm not too sure about the glaive, but in kendo, they use the repetitive motions of katas to teach the basic moves.  And Sesshy is also sparring with her everyday as well.  Well, anyway, thanks for pointing that out, and thanks for reviewing!

P.t: Yup, I'm the queen of evil cliffhangers.  Here's some more for you.  Thanks for reviewing!

Raksha: Well, Kagome struck me as a very strong willed person (even if she is a little ditzy at times), and I figured that if she was pushed far enough, she'd end up like this.  Ah, yes, Jaken in drag, makes for an interesting picture. *evil grin*  Thanks for the review!

Lunakitty: Yup, Kagome got some brains!  Thanks for reviewing!

The Vagrant: Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

saiyantamer: *glomps* Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!  I am slowly but surely reading through the manga translations. And it is "org.uk".  Thanks again!

Sailor Silver Moon: I tried to keep Sesshy in character as best as possible, and I'm really happy that you think I did a good job!  As for Kagome's outfit, I was kind of thinking of Sango when I thought it up, even though I know that it wouldn't be something that would be normal in the feudal times.  Sesshy doesn't eat? What's the fun in that?  Oh well.  As for the servants, I was kind of thinking that they were more like slaves, remnants of his father's rule in the castle or something, and Sesshy doesn't actually pay much attention to them.  Thanks for the criticism, I appreciate it!

Alex: *cackles* Ha! I'm corrupting you! Glad you liked it, and thanks for reviewing!

DemonBlade: I love making Sesshy squirm, don't you? *grin* Thanks for the review!

lil-inuyasha: Ah! I'm getting death threats! Cool. Hey, no one ever said I was normal.  Thanks for reviewing!

JustAnotherPerson: Thanks so much!


	4. Befriending the Devil

Sesshy: Ok, explain this to me again.  Where are we?

Landlady: *munching on Doritos while watching the Gargoyles marathon* In my domain, Ellycian.

B0b: Watch, he'll try to beat it out of her.

J0rge: No one's **that** stupid.

B0b: Wanna bet?

J0rge: You're on.

Sesshy: And how do I get out of here?

LL: Mmmph, mmph, mph. *swallows* I told you, you get to find your own way out.

Sesshy: How am I supposed to get out when there aren't any doors?

LL: Umm, find a window?

Sesshy: There aren't any windows either!

LL: *waves her hand and a bucket of dog treats appears* Here.  Shut up and watch TV.

A/N: I'm really swamped with school work, so the next chapter may be a little late. *winces* I'll try my best to get the next chapter out this weekend, but I can't promise anything. *sniffles* Oh yea, and thanks for all your wonderful feedback so far, it's been really inspiring!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Sesshy, he's just 'visiting'.

Chapter 4: Befriending the Devil

Kagome held her breath as the deer that she was hunting trotted warily past her hiding place in the surrounding trees.  Her hand tightened around her glaive as she shifted ever so slightly into a better position.  The buck paused, sniffing the surrounding air.  Kagome wasn't worried; she had positioned herself upwind.  Satisfied that he was safe, the deer began to graze.

Kagome leapt, and with a swish of her blade, the animal was dead.

Pulling out a dagger that she had borrowed from Sesshoumaru, she began to skin the animal, taking as much meat as she could carry.  It still bothered her, killing an innocent animal, but she knew that the 'great lord' Sesshoumaru wasn't going to bother to feed her.  And since she was no longer going back and forth between her world and this one, she no longer had the option of snitching food from her fridge.  Who would have thought that she would miss chocolate so much?

Pausing in her work, Kagome glanced up at the sky.  One month, it had been one month since she had last seen her family.  Was her grandpa ok?  How was her mom holding up?  Kagome sighed, and forced herself to concentrate on her task.  Worrying would do her no good, especially since she was no longer just a short distance away from the well.  It would take at least ten days to get back, and right now, they couldn't afford to turn away from their path, no matter how much she wanted to go home.

Packing her meat into the small pack that she had brought with her, Kagome rose, leaving the corpse to the wolves, or whatever scavenger happened upon it first.  Before she left, however, she ran a finger across the creatures nose, giving a silent prayer for the life that she had destroyed to sustain hers.  With that, she was gone, faster than she would have thought possible before she had begun to train with Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru.  Kagome frowned at the name.  The demon lord had been acting very strangely the past few days.  Things had started out all right between them.  He had been a lot nicer than she had expected when she came to him for help.  They hadn't talked too much, but when they did, it was civil, which was more than could be said for her conversations with Inu-Yasha.  He listened to her when she spoke; he wasn't afraid to say what he thought either, but he didn't blurt out the first thing that came to mind either.  She had almost got him to smile a few times, and he'd actually cracked a joke in her presence.  True, it was a rude, sarcastic remark at her expense, but Kagome had decided that it meant that the youkai actually had a sense of humor.  A demented sense of humor, but one nonetheless.  They had almost become rather friendly.

Then, a few days ago, he had become pissy all of the sudden.  It was as if suddenly, he was disgusted by her presence.  Kagome frowned at the memory.  She didn't like him, she decided, not that it really mattered.  But she tried to at least establish a working relationship with him, seeing as they would be traveling together for a while.  And the demon lord could try to at least speak with her.  But nooo, he had to have violent mood swings and not talk to her for three days.  If she didn't know better, Kagome would have said that Sesshoumaru was really a woman and was suffering from PMS.  How were they supposed to work together if he wouldn't say two words to her at a time?

_Screw it,_ Kagome thought as she slipped back into camp, _its not as if I really expected to become his best friend or anything.  He's not going to kill me, or let me be killed, anytime soon, and that's the important part._  Dropping her bag, the girl began to gather some firewood to start a blaze to cook on.  She was getting pretty good at campfire cooking, if she did say so herself.

Looking around, Kagome vaguely wondered where the demon of her thoughts was hiding.  He wasn't at the campsite, not that she had really expected him to be.  Most likely, he was off doing whatever dog-demons did to get information.  Kagome wasn't about to ask.

A quick glance up at the sun told the girl that it would be getting dark in a few more hours.  "Guess we're staying here tonight," she said to no one in particular.

"Oi, Kagome-chan!  What are you doing this far north?"

Kagome looked up with a start.  Standing on the other side of her small fire was, "K-Kouga-kun!  I could ask you the same question."  The wolf-youkai grinned at her, and walked around to her, sitting down without an invitation.

"I had some business with another wolf-clan up here.  Stinking assholes won't give me the men I need to get my revenge against that bitch."

Kagome nodded as she grabbed a few thin sticks and began sharpening the edges with her dagger to make skewers.  "Are you hungry, Kouga-kun?" she asked with a laugh when the wolf-youkai began sniffing at her bag.  "I have plenty."

"Sure!" he said enthusiastically, as he grabbed a few sticks from her and helped to skewer some of the meat for cooking.  "But why do we have to cook it?"

The girl rolled her eyes without looking away from her task.  "You don't have to cook yours if you don't want to."

Kouga grinned and set about devoring some of the meat from her pack.  They chatted aimlessly for a while, about rumors of shikon shards and their individual reasons for being in this part of Japan.  Kagome was very careful to avoid the subject of her companions.  Unfortunately for her, it didn't take too long for the wolf-youkai to notice.  "Hey!" he exclaimed, standing up and sniffing the surrounding air, "Where is dog-turd anyway?  I don't smell him anywhere near, and I don't appreciate that halfling leaving my woman out here all alone."

"He's," Kagome began, but she stopped when she sensed a familiar presence.  A rush of wind blew past her and Sesshoumaru was gripping Kouga by the neck about ten feet away.  _Oh shit._  Kagome carefully set down the meat that she had been cooking before walking over to where the two demons were facing off.

"Who are you?" Sesshoumaru was growling, "And what are you doing in my camp?"

The wolf-demon glared at the demon lord who was holding him a full foot above the ground, but Kagome cut him off before he could answer.  "He's my **friend**, Fluffy.  And in case you hadn't noticed, this is my camp too.  Let him go."  Sesshoumaru obliged by dropping the wolf-demon onto the ground in an undignified heap.

Kouga sprung up with a growl and yelled at the other demon's retreating form, "Hey, dog breath!  What are you running away for, you scared?"

Sesshoumaru settled himself by the fire without responding.  Kagome sighed and put a hand on Kouga's shoulder to stop him from charging forward.  The other went to her forehead in an attempt to ward off a headache.  Were all men like this, or was it just the demon blood in them?

"Kouga-kun, I'd like you to meet Sesshoumaru.  Fluffy, this is Kouga.  You two try not to kill each other."  Kagome sat back down at her place by the fire, gnawing on some deer meat that had cooked by now.

"Surely you aren't suggesting that this wolf could kill **me**."  The demon lord asked calmly, turning his flat golden stare to Kagome.  She shrugged nonchalantly, and continued to eat.

Expecting some insane boast form the wolf-demon, Kagome turned slightly when none was forthcoming.  Kouga was standing a few feet behind her, his eyes fixed on Sesshoumaru and his jaw working furiously.  "The lord of the Western Lands?  You're that Sesshoumaru?" he finally managed to squeak.

"Do you know any other Sesshoumaru?"

Kouga fell to the ground in a bow, and Kagome nearly choked.  **Kouga** was showing respect for someone?  She turned back to Sesshoumaru who was looking on with indifference plastered all over his face like a mask.  Kagome couldn't even pick up on any of the subtle signals that she usually used to tell his mood, which probably meant that he was really ticked off.

Springing up, she grabbed the wolf-youkai by the arm and had dragged him nearly twenty feet before his head cleared enough to realize what was going on.  He planted his feet firmly, stopping their progress.  "Why didn't you tell me you were traveling with Sesshoumaru-sama?" he practically shrieked.

"You didn't ask!"  The girl glanced back at her traveling companion and added hastily, "You'd better go, he's getting pissed."

Kouga frowned at her, "You his mate?"

Kagome blinked, "Huh?"

"You heard me."

Lightly shoving the wolf-demon she said, exasperated, "No!  I made a deal with him is all.  Now go, before he kills you."

Kouga brightened, planting a kiss on her hand.  "Ok, then.  You take care of my woman, Sesshoumaru-sama!"  With one final wave, the wolf-youkai bounded off.

Kagome trudged back to the fire and plopped down, again.  "Hey, you didn't tell me you were famous."

He stared at her a moment, before smirking.  "You didn't ask."  He fell silent for a moment, and when Kagome looked up she realized he was studying her.  Instantly, the wolf-youkai's last words popped into her head.

"Just ignore Kouga-kun.  He's nice and all, but he's…"

"A moron." Sesshoumaru finished for her.

Kagome sighed.  "You could put it that way."  _Just once, I'd like a quiet meal._

***

Inu-Yasha grinned wildly at the demon in front of him as he pulled out Tetsusaiga.  She grinned back at him, taunting him with a claw, daring him to come closer.  He sprung with a growl.  Behind him, he could vaguely hear his companion's shouts, but the blood rushing through his ears dulled the words so that he couldn't make them out.  Before he realized what was happening, the demon ignited a spell that would have burned him to a crisp had something not grabbed him and sharply tugged him backwards out of harm's way.  He landed firmly on his rear just as he saw Sango's boomerang whiz past to destroy the demon.

Kikyo was beside him in an instant.  "Are you all right?"  He nodded, allowing her to help him up, and together they went to grab the shard that the demon had eaten.  Shippou's antics drew his attention away for a moment, just as Kikyo bent down to pick up the shard.  He caught the dead priestess from the corner of his eye just as she was straightening, and for just a moment, a visage of Kagome flashed through his mind.

_Kagome…_  Why would he think of her now?  He had what, or rather who, he wanted.  Now that Kikyo and he were finally together again, why should he worry about Kagome?  Yet the fact that she was either with or being trailed by his half-brother disturbed him.  He knew what Sesshoumaru was capable of, and the thought of him doing anything like **that** to Kagome made him ill.

Shaking his head furiously, Inu-Yasha tried to rid himself of those thoughts.  Kagome didn't belong in this world anyway, she never had.  It wasn't like she was important to him or anything; she was just a reincarnation of Kikyo.

The dead priestess put her hand on his shoulder, startling the dog-demon out of his thoughts.  He smiled at her when she handed him the shard she had picked up and, on an impulse, pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

He didn't need Kagome anymore.  But why wouldn't the annoying girl from the future stay out of his thoughts?

***

"Are you sure there's a shard around here?" Sesshoumaru asked looking around the abandoned town.  The place stunk of humans and fear, and the demon lord had to fight with himself not to cover his sensitive nose.  Normally, he enjoyed the tinge of fear, but if there was ever a classic example of too much of a good thing, then this was it.  The blind fear the saturated this ghost town unnerved him.  It was as if whatever had scared the people had been playing with them before it made the final kill.  No one had tried to fight back; there was no scent of the adrenaline rush that usually accompanied a fight.

"Mmm, more than one," Kagome replied distracted by something.  When she started away, Sesshoumaru's hand instinctively shot out and grabbed her collar, dragging her back.  Before she could protest, he clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Stay with me," he told her as she glared up at him, "I don't like this place."  The fury in her eyes dulled and she nodded.  He released her immediately, and together, they set off to explore.  Coming to the first house, Kagome pushed at the door, not daring to knock.  Neither of them was very surprised when it came open.

The demon lord pushed past his companion and entered the building, checking for any dangers.  When he was satisfied that they wouldn't be attacked, he motioned for Kagome to enter.  She did, releasing a small gasp as she looked around.

Bodied littered the floor, half-decayed, half-eaten.  The silence that could only accompany death filled the place, filling every orifice and threatening to drown them.  Kagome inched towards her companion automatically, seeking comfort in his strength.  Sesshoumaru didn't seem to be affected by the sight; he was used to it.

The demon was about to turn and leave when a wail cut through the silence.  Kagome jumped and latched onto Sesshoumaru's arm, dropping her glaive with a clatter.

"Pick that up," he growled.  Kagome obeyed without a word, and set off in the direction of the cry.  "Wench!"  She was such an idiot sometimes.  He followed her, fully expecting to have to rescue her from some danger.

Kagome had a baby in her arms and was cooing softly.  There was a crib in the corner that the child had apparently come from.  For a moment, the babe quieted, comforted by the reassuring presence.  Then, all of the sudden, she was wailing again.

"If you don't shut that thing up, then I will," Sesshoumaru said, wincing at the sound.  Kagome merely rolled her eyes and stuck her thumb into the baby's mouth for her to suck on.

"She's just hungry.  Here," she thrust the baby at Sesshoumaru, who looked at her as if she was crazy.  "Just for a minute Sesshoumaru, please?"  With a sigh, he held out his hand.  The girl frowned at him and adjusted his arm so that he could hold her safely.  Once he had the child, Kagome took off her pack and began digging through it.

The demon lord looked down at the child in disgust.  Human babies had to be the ugliest things on the planet.  "You're not going to feed this thing are you?"

"Of course," Kagome replied, pulling out her canteen and exchanging the child for her bag.  She carefully tipped some of the water in to the child's mouth, wishing that she had a bottle.

Sesshoumaru looked on, bored.  "It's just going to die, you know."  She ignored him, continuing to feed the baby.

A flash of awareness at the edge of his senses warned him suddenly of danger.  He looked up at the roof, tracking whatever was after them.  "Kagome.  Come here now; get behind me."

She looked up, "What?"

"Just do it."  She obeyed, setting down the water bottle and grabbing her glaive.  The child started to cry.  "Keep that thing quiet."  Behind him, Kagome crouched down, desperately trying to comfort the baby.

"What's going on?" she whispered.  Before the demon lord got a chance to answer, the roof blew in on them.  Kagome bent over, trying to protect the child on her lap, but Sesshoumaru remained standing.  The only move he made was to place his hand on his sword hilt.

Two lumps that were attempting to take on human shape landed in front of him.  The demon lord narrowed his eyes slightly.  Shadow demons.  They were called that only because they were the same dark gray color as a shadow, and slightly translucent.  But unlike shadows, these creatures were very tangible, and they died just like any normal creature.   They weren't true demons, though, but no one was quite sure **what** they were.  Sesshoumaru knew two things about them for sure: they were dangerous and they had an insatiable appetite for humans.

"Kagome," the demon lord called, drawing his sword, "Take the child and get out of here."  Without waiting for her argument, he sprung forward.  Behind him, he could hear the girl scramble away and out the door.  Good.  Now he wouldn't have to worry about them getting in the way.

The two shadow demons sprung away from him, looking at each other curiously.  "You not human," one of them rasped at him.  "Where humans?"

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to answer as he sprung again, slashing at them with his sword.  They hissed simultaneously, jumping back again, this time through the hole in the roof that they had come through.  The demon followed, hoping that they weren't headed in Kagome's direction.

***

Kagome, at that very moment, was running for her life.  Once she felt that she was a good distance from the house where Sesshoumaru was battling those … things, she stopped to comfort the child, who was screaming her head off.  Her mind was only half on the task.  She kept glancing over her shoulder to where the demon lord was fighting.

While she was looking back, a thud sounded in front of her, and when she turned, one of those things was standing there.  The baby started wailing again, and Kagome couldn't blame her; she was tempted to join her.  Gripping her glaive in her right hand and cradling the baby close in her other arm, the girl glared defiantly at the creature.  He ignored her stare, instead fixating on the child held in her arm.

"You give me child, yesss?" he said, sounding like one would expect a snake to if it had vocal chords.  Kagome shivered and cursed her inattention that had allowed him to come so close.  The thing was stretching towards her, beginning to **look** like a snake.  Kagome stepped back, holding her glaive in front of her warningly.

"W-What do you want her for?"

A crack opened in the blob that she assumed to be it's head, and a tongue darted out to lick lips that weren't there.  "Lunch," it said with a grin.  A sick feeling settled into her stomach as Kagome saw that the thing had a jewel shard embedded in its mouth.  She looked down at the babe in her arms, and warm feeling fizzed violently under her skin.  Carefully, she turned and set the child down at the base of a nearby tree, making a mental note not to back up and step on her.

Against all reason, she slid into an offensive stance.  Despite the fact that she had no idea what this thing was, or how powerful it was, despite the fact that it had a jewel shard to make it even stronger, despite the fact that even if she screamed for her protector, there was no way he'd make it in time, Kagome was determined that this thing would never get a hold of the baby.

The creature slid back for a moment, considering.  Then, it broke into a wide grin.  "You lunch," it proclaimed happily.  "That dessert."

"You wish!"  Kagome ruthlessly pushed back the fear that coursed through her, and attacked.

***

Sesshoumaru cursed silently as he dodged a blow from the shadow demon, searching for an opening.  Blood poured freely from a few of his more serious wounds, but all in all, the shadow was far worse off.  One more hit, and he could take this thing down once and for all.

But that wasn't what he was worried about.  The other demon had disappeared at the beginning of their fight.  He had noticed right away, but this one prevented him from leaving to search for Kagome.  He hadn't thought that these two would be a problem, but they were far stronger than any shadows that he had heard of before.  They had to have the shards that Kagome had sensed.  And if that was the case…

He could only hope that Kagome could hold off the other one until he got there.

Distracted by a scream, he didn't see the creature lunge until it was too late.

***

Kagome launched herself at the creature with a yell.  He sprung back effortlessly, only to lunge again.  Fingers and claws formed just as he dug into her shoulder, biting deeply.  From the corner of her eye, Kagome could see blood, her blood spurt forth, but she bit back a scream and tried to make use of Sesshoumaru's training.

Her glaive darted forward, and she sliced deep into the creature's belly.  Thick black ooze seeped from the wound as he darted back.  _So he can be hurt, good._  Kagome didn't stop.  She followed up with another quick series of slashes.  Each one hit their mark, but it didn't seem to be doing any real harm to the thing.

Chewing nervously on her lower lip, Kagome's eyes darted to the baby, who had been amazingly quiet.  The girl gasped at what she saw.

While they had been fighting, the demon had formed a tendril that had wrapped around the child.  She wasn't moving, and Kagome had no idea whether she was alive or dead.  Needless to say, Kagome saw red.

She screamed.

***

Sesshoumaru went down hard, but he was faking most of the damage.  When the shadow demon bent over him to make sure he was dead, his hand shot up and went straight through the thing's neck.  He shook the creature off with distain, and finished him with a hefty blast of his poison claws.

In the puddle that was all the remained of the shadow demon, something glinted.  Bending over, the demon lord plucked it out of the ooze.  A jewel shard.  Pocketing it, he glanced over in the direction that Kagome had run.

Just as he turned, a bright red light flashed, nearly blinding him.  Sesshoumaru took off at a run.  Hoping he wasn't too late.

***

He found Kagome cradling the baby with her back to him.  Her glaive was a few feet away, smoking where the blade met the wooden staff.  The shadow demon was nowhere to be seen, but a few suspicious spots gave him a pretty good clue as to what had happened to him.

Taking a few steps closer to the girl, he realized she was crying softly.  An icy hand gripped his heart as he looked her over anxiously.  Grabbing her shoulder, he half-turned her so that he could look her in the face.  "Are you injured?" he asked.

"I-I couldn't save her," she whispered, looking down at the baby in her arms.  With a start, Sesshoumaru realized that she was dead, her neck probably broken.  "I tried to protect her, but I failed."  With shaking hands, she set the child down carefully.  Sesshoumaru watched intently, fascinated that she would feel so strongly about someone that she had no connection to.  "We should bury her," Kagome continued in a firmer voice.

The demon lord frowned.  "You killed the shadow demon?" he asked, looking around.

The girl nodded without looking up from the dead baby.  "I don't know how though."  She pointed at her glaive, "Something happened to it."  Her fingers stroked the baby's hair, as if willing her to come back to life.  Tears fell from her eyes unheeded.

The demon lord glanced at the smoking glaive next to him one more time, then back at the grieving girl.  She had started to dig a grave under the tree with her hands, full of determination but obviously not thinking correctly.  As he watched, he touched the hilt of Tenseiga, making up his mind.

Rising, he gripped the girl by the shoulder and pushed her back a bit.  She protested with a soft cry, and outright yelled when he unsheathed his sword.  "Trust me, Kagome," he said without turning as he watched the body of the child.  A few quick slashes, and it was done.

Kagome, on the other hand, was furious.  "What are you doing?  Stay away from her!"  She slapped him, but in her weakened condition, it was nothing more than a tap.  Sesshoumaru caught her hand before she could try again.

"Look," he ordered, spinning her around to face the baby.  The child wailed, Kagome screeched, and before he realized it, Sesshoumaru found himself at the receiving end of an enthusiastic hug.

"You saved her!" Kagome exclaimed, squeezing him harder.  "Thank you!"  Releasing him suddenly, she went to the child to calm her down.  The demon lord watched her comfort the child with more enthusiasm than was necessary.  Pretty soon, the baby was asleep.

Sesshoumaru found the other shard in moments and handed both of them, along with the glaive, to Kagome.  She purified the shards with a touch, tucking them into a pouch that contained all they had collected so far.  Her glaive she took with more reverence, peering intently at the spot where the heat of the blade had charred the wood.  "You must have inserted a spell into the metal," Sesshoumaru theorized.

Kagome shrugged.  "Maybe.  I was just so mad … I can't explain what happened."  She looked at the glaive again to check for any damage and caught sight of herself.  "He exploded, and … eww, look at me!  I'm covered in demon guts!"

The demon sighed.  Why did he ever think that Kagome wasn't squeamish?

Next time on 'Promises': Trouble in the City of Lost Souls…

B0b: *winces as he looks over at Sesshy*  Pay up.

J0rge: *grumbles as he pulls out 20 bucks from his pocket* Damn it all, Sesshy!  I thought you had some brains.

*LL is pressing an antiseptic soaked cloth to Sesshy's scrapes*

Sesshy: Oww! *swipes at LL* Cut that out!

LL: It's not my fault you decided to attack me.  Ellycian happens to take offense when you try that.

Sesshy: I noticed.

LL: Aww, poor Sesshy. *glomps* I'll make it all better. Hmm… *knocks Sesshy down and climbs on top of him* Take off your clothes!

B0b and J0rge: o.O!

Review Responses:

Gloria Stone: Thanks so much!

Amanda: Glad you liked it!  As for Inu, well, you'll just have to wait and see! *grin*  Thanks for the review!

NinjaRage: *keeling over with laughter* Inu-kun and Eminem, those two would get along great.  I hope that your dad is ok.  Thanks for reviewing!

FelisDeityus: Five times! o.O Wow!  I'm flattered.  I dunno about more sparring between Sesshy and Kagome, but there's lots more fighting on the way! Thanks! (It's only a flesh wound!  Come back here and I'll bite off your kneecaps!)

Gwenivere: Glad you liked it! Thanks!

DemonBlade: Thanks for reviewing!

Sailor Silver Moon: Tsk, tsk, read fanfics when you're supposed to be doing your work.  Not that I can talk, I've done the same thing more times than I can count.  And no, Kagome doesn't have her bike (Sesshy wanted her to walk to increase her strength), and only a small pack with one hell of a lot of soap (and some other important stuff) in it.  I meant to explain that in this chapter, but it got away from me. *sighs* I suppose I'll mention it sooner or later.  No problems about the rent, you don't have to pay until the end of the month … wait! It is the end of the month.  You'd better pay up or I'll sic B0b on you! (And you don't want that to happen do you?)  I really am sorry about withholding chapters though, but I have to (attempt to) establish a friendship between Kagome and Sesshy first, otherwise Kagome won't be too happy about giving him the sword.  And yes, FFN is a baka, but we won't go into that.  Hehe, thanks for the review!!

tikimoof: I was afraid the whole hunting scene wouldn't take because it was too nasty.  Glad you liked it, and thanks for reviewing!

Lashmi: Thank you!

Eriol's bear: I don't think that Kagome would fit in a rabbit hole, she's not that skinny is she? ^_^; Thanks for the review!

Talon DragonFriend: Thanks so much! The ditzy Kagome in the series bothered me, so I had to fix it. Glad that you liked it! And don't worry, romance is coming.

saiyantamer: *glomps* Hehe, just kidding. Oh, and thanks so much for the website, both of them have been helping a lot!  Oh yea, Shippou is so kawaii!!! I am trying to keep the comedy in this fic, even though this chapter was a little more sedate than the rest, and there will be others with less humor.  But I suppose that's to be expected, right?  I'm really glad you liked it, and thankies so much!

lady love: Hehe, I'm not talented enough to write a romance when one of the parties is dead, so no need to worry.  Some more cute scenes are coming, I promise.  Thanks for the review!

Little Sister: Just to warn you, I'm a sucker for angst, so be expecting some more.  I'll let you in on a little secret though (don't tell anybody!), I like happy endings too, so don't worry too much.  Glad you're liking it!  Thanks for reviewing!

Priya-chan: Glad you liked it!  Thanks for the review!

AnimeAngel: Thanks!

Quimberly: Thanks to everyone's reviews, I've been really inspired to write fast.  I'm glad that you are liking it so far and thanks for the review!

lil debbie: *sighs* I know, I know, Sesshy got a little weird.  I hope he's better in this chapter.  And I have to agree with you, Inu needs professional help. *grins at the thought of Inu on a couch talking to a shrink* Thanks for reviewing!

Dark Star: *I* got a lot of reviews? You got 105 for your one shot! (Which you are going to continue right? *wink*wink*)  But yes, I am much inspired by everyone's encouragement.  Glad you like the fic so far!  Here's some Kagome kicking butt for you.

The Vagrant: Thanks! *tickles Sesshy so that he will laugh*

 (The nameless person who likes my fic) : Thank you!!

Celestial: Kagome does have this thing with baths.  And Inu's a dork, so I'm not sure if he'll notice or not yet. Thanks for the review!

Reigufu: Technically, Sesshy's free to leave any time he wants, but I'm not going to help him.  He got his own butt here, he can get his own butt out.  Oh yea, and I didn't see his signature on that marriage certificate… but I'd be perfectly willing to overlook that if you want to share. *winks*  Thanks for the review!

Faoiltiama: Thank you!

Phile: LOL! "creepy bitch" I love that!  Thanks for the review!


	5. The City of Lost Souls

Landlady: I'm sorry that it took me so long to get this out.  I really tried to finish this over the weekend, but I just had too much other stuff to do.  Unfortunately, it looks like chapter six is going to be delayed as well. =(  On the other hand, I broke a hundred reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!  *glomps reviewers*  Thank you all so much!!  All of your comments were really encouraging as I struggled through this chapter.

Sesshy: *still looking for a window* Any more of this and I'm going to gag.

LL: *petting Sesshy absently* That's nice sweetie.  You know, something just occurred to me…

B0b: You're an idiot?  
Sesshy: Keeping me here against my will is illegal?

LL: *whapping B0b* No, I just realized that I haven't seen J0rge in a while.  Maybe that's why I had so much trouble writing this, cause my muse was missing!

B0b: But, I'm your muse too.

LL: You're a lazy bum … All right, what did you do with J0rge!! *looms over B0b with scary flames rising behind her*

B0b: *shrinking back* Umm, I think I left, err, I saw him in the junkyard … maybe. *shrieks like a little girl when LL picks him up and hurls him in the direction of the junkyard*

LL: BRING HIM BACK!!!

Disclaimer: Sesshy and the others aren't mine. *pouts*

Chapter 5: The City of Lost Souls

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes with a start.  The soft moonlight filtered down to lay a sliver blanket over the surrounding area.  A comforting silence, broken only by the lullabies of crickets and rustling of small animals, provided a pillow.

A light breeze puffed through the clearing, making the demon shiver.  About to sit up, he realized that one side of him was warm.  Looking down, he saw that the baby whom he had resurrected was nestled into his side.  He slid a hand under the baby's head to steady her while he sat up.  Looking around for something to wrap around her, he realized that the reason he was so cold was that both his uwagi were missing.  His shattered armor was sitting off to the side with Kagome's bag and his swords.  The girl wasn't in the immediate vicinity, but he could smell her a little way off.

Setting the child down, he started to rise when a sharp tug at his scalp stopped him.  He looked down at the baby, who, without his realizing it, had grabbed a fistful of his silver hair and wasn't about to let go.  Normally, he would have just removed the child, but Kagome would kill him if he did any harm to her.  With a sigh, he picked up the child and strode in the direction of Kagome's scent.

She was sitting by a small pond, stripped to the waist save for an odd piece of cloth across her breasts.  In her hands were his over uwagi and a white block of soap, she was scrubbing the blood out of the cloth.  Her shirt was hanging from a nearby branch, drying; his under uwagi was on the ground next to her, along with her glaive.  She half waved at him as soon as he neared and resumed her work.

Sesshoumaru walked forward and held out the baby, who was still firmly attached to his hair.  "Could you help me out here?" he asked mildly.  Kagome took one look and doubled over in silent laughter.  "I'm glad you find this amusing."

"Sorry," the girl wheezed, flapping her hand helplessly as she tried to stop laughing.  "Hold on."  She stood up, setting the uwagi and soap down and rinsing off her hands.  Coming over to them, she carefully pried the baby's fingers off of his hair.  "Damn, this kid's got a death grip."

"I noticed."

Kagome smirked as she freed the demon from the grip of doom and took the baby from him.  Looking up, her blue eyes met his golden ones.  The demon heard her sharp intake of breath and, this close, he could hear her heart rate speed up.

He could smell her desire.

And then her head dipped down for an instant; when she met his eyes again, she flashed him an overly cheerful smile before backing off to a more appropriate distance to bounce the baby.

"So umm, are you feeling better?"  Sesshoumaru looked down at his bare chest at the question, realizing that he felt no pain.  From the damage done to his armor, he should have some wounds, but the only indication that he had been injured in his fight with the shadow demon was a scratch across his chest.  "That one wouldn't heal all the way," Kagome informed him when he ran his fingers over the wound.

The demon looked up at her.  Kagome was watching him through her lashes while she held the child.  "You healed me?" he asked.  She nodded demurely, and Sesshoumaru inspected his wounds again.  Normally, he didn't like to have his wounds healed through magic, he healed just fine on his own in a day or so anyway.  But her magic was so thorough that not even a faint scar was left.

"You fell asleep, and I was going to see if I could stop the bleeding, but…" she waved her free hand at his chest, indicating his healed wounds.  Sesshoumaru nodded.  After Kagome's display earlier with the shadow demon, he wasn't inclined to be too surprised by anything else she managed to pull off.

"Can you watch her for just a little longer?" Kagome's question broke into the demon's thoughts.  He looked to her and the baby she was indicating.  "I have to finish the laundry."  He didn't bother to dignify that with a reply, merely flicking his hair back with his hand.  Kagome chuckled, and bent down to grab something from the pile of dirty clothes.  "Here," she shoved the baby at him, and he reluctantly took it.  Walking around behind him, the girl tugged his silver hair back into a loose horsetail and tied it with the string she had picked up.  "There you go."  She patted his shoulder and moved away from him again.  Sesshoumaru sighed at his fate, but he couldn't really argue with her; it wasn't like he was about to lower himself to washing his clothes.

Looking up, he realized that Kagome was gone.  Just as he was about to go find her, she came back, carrying the stuff that they had left.  She dumped it by him silently before returning to her task.

Sesshoumaru sat down where he had been standing with a sigh.  A comfortable silence descended upon them while he watched the girl, until…

"Hey Sesshoumaru, will you feed the baby?  She's hungry."

***

"I don't know Sesshoumaru," Kagome said worriedly, looking back at the village they had just left, "do you think she'll be all right there?"

"She'll be fine," the demon lord assured her, for the fifth time.

"But…"

"You think that you can take care of her better … while hunting shards at the same time?" he asked harshly in order to get his point across.

Kagome winced even as she sighed in defeat, "I suppose you are right.  I'm still going to miss her though."

"I won't."  The demon lord informed her as he turned away from the village to continue on their journey.

"Jerk," Kagome muttered just loud enough to make sure that the demon heard her.  Sesshoumaru was joking of course; at least, she thought he was.  Kagome shrugged nonchalantly as she trotted to catch up with him, noticing that he slowed ever so slightly to make it easier.  When they were side by side, the girl turned to her youkai companion, "You'd make a terrible father, you know."

He stared at her with an unintelligible expression on his face for a moment before smirking.  "It's a family tradition," he said as he looked away and increased his pace.

Kagome stopped suddenly as the full weight of his words sunk in.  Following behind his rapidly retreating figure, the girl was left to wonder exactly what kind of family life the demon lord had had.

***

Sesshoumaru watched the girl from the corner of his eye as they walked.  Something was wrong with her; normally she had no trouble keeping up with him, but today, she seemed to have trouble just putting one foot in front of the other.  She wasn't complaining however, and he didn't think she would appreciate it if he brought the subject up.

When he caught the metallic tinge of blood lingering around her, he was forced to stop.  Kagome ran into him before realizing that he had halted.

"Sesshy?" she slurred, rubbing her eyes, "Is it time to stop already?"  He didn't reply but tugged at the material of the jacket she had donned when the weather began to get cold.  Her shoulder where the shadow demon had hit her was a bloody mess as if she hadn't even bothered to attend to it.  The girl looked down at the wound and made a face, "Eww."

Sesshoumaru sighed and pushed her into a sitting position, digging into her bag for something to clean her shoulder with.  "What were you thinking?" he hissed.

Kagome frowned.  "I cleaned it!  But then you passed out, and I got busy," she yawned, "I guess I forgot."

"You **are** an idiot," Sesshoumaru informed her.  His mind raced; she was feverish and about to pass out.  Even with his limited knowledge of human physiology, he knew that she would be in danger if her fever weren't brought down soon.  Meducnoh wasn't too far away … but did he really want to bring her there?

She slumped forward to rest against him, fast asleep.  _Shit._  He had no choice now; Kagome needed help, soon.  He wrapped his arm around her and stood, rising into the air, the sense of urgency increasing when she didn't even stir.

It took him a little less than half an hour to arrive at the city.  He landed far enough away that he couldn't be seen by the guards at the front gate and surveyed the city.  To anyone but a demon, it would seem that he was looking at an empty field.

_Meducnoh, the City of Lost Souls … I hate this place._

***

"Wake up!"  The fear in the voice that called out to her struck Kagome as odd.  It sounded like Sesshoumaru, but he wasn't the type to betray any emotion, much less fear.  "Kagome!"

She opened her eyes to golden ones full of worry, and for one ludicrous moment, the thought that Inu-Yasha was holding her passed though her mind.  It was immediately replaced by an influx of images of the hanyou and Kikyo together.  She pushed herself away enough to see the crescent moon and red stripes that confirmed that it was indeed Sesshoumaru who had been calling her.

The expression on his face immediately smoothed out to an indifferent one.  "We're here."

Kagome struggled to stand, only to find out – to her embarrassment – that she was too weak.  The demon lord dragged her up by her uninjured arm.  "Try to walk," he told her, "It's not far."  The girl gasped, with the demon's hand on her arm, what had appeared to be an empty field now held a **huge** walled city.  She nodded to Sesshoumaru and took her glaive from him to steady herself as they set off on the path that led to the front gate.  Now that she knew the city was there, her innate priestess skills showed her the truth through the illusion spell.

"What is this place?" Kagome couldn't help asking.

"Meducnoh."

"The City of Lost Souls," Kagome translated to herself.  "It's a demon city."

Sesshoumaru nodded.  "Now shut up.  It's going to be hard enough to get you in, so just follow my lead."  Kagome nodded, her hand tightening around her glaive.

"Greetings wanderer," one of the gate guards called out from the ramparts.  "State your business in Meducnoh."

The demon lord's golden eyes narrowed at the guard's insolent tone.  "My business is my own; open the gates and let us pass."  Kagome looked on in amazement as Sesshoumaru visibly changed from the amiable (well, sorta) companion she'd been traveling with to the cold, arrogant Lord of the Western Lands that she had first met.

Another demon joined the guard on the ramparts.  He took one look at Sesshoumaru and began a heated discussion with the guard that Kagome couldn't make out.  From her companion's smirk, however, he could probably hear every word.  Finally, the new demon knocked the original guard upside the head hard enough to make him stagger and turned to the demon lord.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," he said solemnly, "It is an honor to have you visit our humble town.  If you'll please wait a moment, I will open the gate for you."  He disappeared at Sesshoumaru's nod, dragging the other guard with him.  Sure enough, in a few moments, the massive gate began to open.  What looked to be the entire city guard was waiting just inside to greet them.  As one, they bowed when the two shard hunters entered the city.

The demon that had greeted Sesshoumaru by name was waiting for them when they entered the city proper.  His gaze fell to Kagome and his eyes widened.

"I was not aware that your choice of companion had turned to humans," he said.

The demon lord looked back at Kagome, who was rapidly losing her strength.  "She's a rei-youkai," he said brusquely.

"She's bleeding," the other demon replied, watching Kagome as well.

Despite her weariness, Kagome was getting increasingly irritated at the way that the demon was talking about her, as if she wasn't even there.  Or worse, as if she was a pet who couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Hey!  I'm not deaf you know!" she blurted out before remembering what Sesshoumaru had said earlier.  Her mouth snapped shut instantly.

The demon's mouth dropped open before he managed to regain his composure.  "Rei-youkai or no, that is no way to talk to the Lord of the Western Lands."

Sesshoumaru chuckled.  "It's quite all right, Captain," he told the demon, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder and leading her away, leaving the captain to wonder what the hell was going on.  He wasn't the only one; Kagome was thoroughly confused.

***

She waited until they had secured a room at the inn and until the innkeeper had left them to their own devices.  It had been hard to get the woman to leave, but she had finally convinced them that the 'great lord' didn't need anything.  Fortunately, she had also avoided letting Sesshoumaru get his claws on her; he probably would have killed her.  The demon lord was still a little angry, but Kagome wasn't about to wait any longer.

She turned to Sesshoumaru, hands on hips, to demand an explanation.  Well, that was her intention anyway.  Instead, the sudden movement landed her halfway to the floor before the demon lord caught her.  He frowned at her, "I'll call for a healer."  Walking over to the bed, he gently set her down.

Before he could turn away, she caught his arm.  "No, it's all right.  I think I just over extended myself."  The demon nodded reluctantly, and sat down by the bed.  Before Kagome could say anything, he began to push her shirt off her shoulder.  "W-What are you doing?" she asked, pushing his hands away.

He looked at her as if she was nuts.  "Checking your wound."

"Oh."  Kagome blushed, lowering her hands, and stripping her shoulder so that he could look at it.  The flush refused to leave her cheeks the entire time that the demon lord was cleaning and bandaging her shoulder.  He was warm…

Furious, Kagome shook the disturbing thoughts from her mind before they went too far.  Desperate, she blurted out her earlier question, "What did you mean by soul demon anyway?"

He sat back once he finished tying her bandage.  "Sometimes," he explained, "Demon souls are reincarnated by accident into human bodies.  These humans often have powers of a demon.  It's rare to find them, but most youkai recognize them as true demons."

Kagome frowned, mulling over what he had said.  "So you think I'm one of these rei-youkai?"

"No.  But I couldn't very well have told them that you were a priestess.  Calling you a soul demon will explain your abilities."

Kagome shrugged and yawned, "Works for me."

Sesshoumaru watched her with an odd expression in his eyes that she couldn't quite place.  Finally he rose, "Get some sleep."

Kagome yawned again, but one thing was bothering her.  "Sesshoumaru?  Why was that captain guy looking at me strangely earlier, when I yelled at him?"

The demon lord chuckled again.  "It's nothing.  Although, I should have guessed that since you could read our language, you'd be able to speak it too."

***

Kagome woke up several hours later feeling much better then she had before.  Half-expecting a sarcastic comment from Sesshoumaru, she was surprised when only silence met her wide yawn.  Sitting up, she looked around to be greeted by an empty room.

"Hmm, that's odd," she said to no one in particular as she slid out of the futon, wishing that she had the height difference of a modern bed to help her out.  Once she managed to stand, Kagome looked around once more.  A flash of purple caught her eye; it was an elegant kimono, complete with an obi, along with a note in Sesshoumaru's precise hand.

She picked up the note, recognizing the odd kanji of the dog-demon language.  She didn't get halfway through the message before a bath was mentioned.  Grabbing the clothes, she followed the directions to the bathhouse without a second thought.

It wasn't until an hour later that she finished reading the note and found out that Sesshoumaru had gone to meet with the leaders of the city.  Figuring he was back by now, she dressed in the clothes that had been left for her: lavender under kimono, the darker purple one and a sea green obi.  Twisting a little, she wished that she had mirror.

Halfway to their room, she found the demon lord being accosted by the innkeeper.  Stifling a laugh, she went to his rescue before he killed the woman.  With a few choice words, she had sent the woman away to bring them something to eat.  Sesshoumaru remained silent throughout the exchange.

Kagome turned to him, hands on her hips playfully.  "You're welcome Sesshoumaru."

He blinked.

The girl leaned toward him and whispered, "I saved you from the innkeeper from hell, the least you could do is a 'thank you'."  When he didn't say anything right away, she sighed exaggeratedly and turned towards their room.

"Thank you."

It was Kagome's turn to blink.  In fact, she nearly passed out; it wasn't like she had actually expecting him to thank her.  She wouldn't have expected thanks from anyone actually.  It was only a joke.  She turned back and put a hand to his forehead, "Are you feeling all right?"

He growled and pulled away.  Kagome started to laugh, until she saw where he was looking.  He was staring at her!  Staring in a way that would have been more appropriate had she been with Miroku.  Nervous, she waved a hand in front of his face and lightly rapped on his skull.  "Hello?  Anyone in there?"

Sesshoumaru blinked again and shook his head.  With a growl, he pushed past her and entered their room.  Wondering what had just happened, Kagome followed wordlessly.

***

The demon lord cursed silently to himself as he heard the girl slide the door shut behind her.  When he had asked a maid to bring some clothes for Kagome, he hadn't expected something that was fit for a Lady.  And he certainly hadn't expected Kagome to look so beautiful in it.  It was as if she had been transformed from the feisty vixen that blew away demons to a lady that belonged in court.

He had been caught off guard, that was all.  It wouldn't happen again.

***

Kagome yawned.  "I'm stuffed," she announced.

Sesshoumaru looked up from a scroll he was reading.  "I wonder why.  You keep eating like that and you are going to turn into a pig."

"Hey!  I'm not that bad!  Have you ever seen your brother eat?" Kagome replied indignantly.

"Half-brother," the demon corrected absently, "And yes, I have been unfortunate enough to witness Inu-Yasha's dining habits."  Kagome giggled before another yawn cut her off.  "Go to sleep," Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome slipped behind the screen to change into a sleeping kimono.  "Are you going to stay up?" she asked as she emerged folding her clothes carefully.

Sesshoumaru glanced up at her for an instant before quickly turning back to his reading.  "There's no need."

"But there's only one bed," Kagome reminded him uncertainly.  Anger flared through the demon lord's veins at her implication, and a sudden resolve filled his mind.  He was going to conquer this strange feeling that plagued him every time he looked at his human companion.

He scowled at her.  "And it's big enough for both of us.  Don't worry, I won't touch you."

Kagome blushed and climbed into bed, scooting over to the far side.  "Ok.  Well, umm… good night."  She closed her eyes as the demon lord slipped in beside her, staying well on his side of the bed.  Willing all thoughts out of his mind, the demon lord forced himself to sleep.

***

The demon lord woke up completely content for the first time in as long as he could remember.  Then, he actually realized what position he was in.

Kagome was curled up beside him, her back pressed firmly to his chest.  His arms were around her waist and his tail was wrapped around them both.  Fortunately, Kagome was still asleep.  For a moment, he nearly panicked, until he remembered how he had landed himself in this position.

Immersed in a bad dream, she had woken him with her flailing.  When he had touched her she quieted, but the second he had drawn back, she started whimpering again.  In order to get some sleep, he had curled up with her.  Truthfully – not that he would ever admit it to anyone – he had slept a lot better the rest of the night.

The odd thing was, he felt completely comfortable with his position.  There was nothing sexual about it, but rather, it just felt right holding Kagome.  Startled at the realization, Sesshoumaru lifted himself up just enough to watch the girl sleep.  She didn't stir, confirming that she was just as content as he was.

Lying back down, the demon nuzzled her hair, enjoying the soft scent that was Kagome.  She smelled nice, soothing, a combination of lavender and the sharp tinge that he associated with magical power.  Reluctantly, the demon lord admitted that he could stay in this moment forever.

Kagome stirred then, snuggling into his warmth, and whispered, "Inu-Yasha…"  For just an instant, the only thought that occupied the demon lord's mind was finding his half-brother and ripping him to pieces.

Luckily, he regained his better sense quickly.  Pushing away from the girl's grasp with ease, he berated himself for being such a fool.  It was obvious that Kagome was still fixated on that hanyou, despite whatever Inu-Yasha had done to her.

Sesshoumaru growled to himself.  It didn't matter anyway.  After all, the only thing that this girl was good for was getting him the sword.

***

Kagome woke with a start, feeling that something was missing.  Without moving, she reached around behind her and patted the bed, looking for whatever was missing.  As soon as she'd done so, the girl wondered why she expected that there would be something there.

Yawning, she sat up completely.  It wasn't like she could go back to sleep now, especially after that weird dream she'd had about Inu-Yasha.  He had left her for Kikyo – again – and then come back to pretend to comfort her while the others had a laugh at her expense.  The weird part was, Sesshoumaru had come to her rescue.  He had been about mangle Inu-Yasha when she woke up.

Urg, she thought groggily as she forced herself out of bed, no more midnight snacks for me.

"Get dressed," a rather testy demon lord told her from the doorway, "We have a meeting with Kuvick."

Kagome stumbled over to the table where she'd left the kimono from yesterday and then stumbled behind the screen and dressed without a word.  Inside, she was wondering what was wrong with Sesshoumaru, but long experience with Inu-Yasha had taught her not to ask.  She came out still fumbling with her obi strings.

The demon lord thrust a cup of juice at her and tied her obi while she gulped it.  When she tried to grab her glaive, he stopped her, instead handing her a slim stiletto that she hid under her obi.

"Who are we meeting again?" Kagome asked, rubbing the last bit of sleep from her eyes.

"Kuvick," Sesshoumaru replied.  The tension in his voice as he said the name did not escape Kagome.  "He's the lord here.  He wants to see you."

"Joy.  Any particular reason why?"

"Rei-youkai are rare.  The last one identified was three hundred years ago."

Kagome gulped.  "I'm not going to have to do anything, umm, rei-youkaiish, am I?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at her and grinned, baring his fangs.  "Hopefully not.  But if you do … that's why I gave you the dagger."

***

The difference between Sesshoumaru and this Kuvick became obvious the moment they entered the castle at the center of the city.  Where the dog-demon's castle was simple and functional, this one was ornate.  Even the guards' weapons looked more ornamental than functional.  Kagome was beginning to see why Sesshoumaru obviously wasn't fond of this demon.

Clenching her fists at her sides to keep from twitching, Kagome reviewed everything that Sesshoumaru had told her.  Don't say anything unless directly asked a question.  Be polite at all times.  Don't stare.  Don't fidget.  Don't look bored.  Follow Sesshoumaru's lead.  She would have been resentful at all these orders, except that she had a feeling that he life depended on obeying them.

They were led through the castle to the main audience chamber, which was surprisingly devoid of pompous lords.  It was however, full of plenty of fawning retainers of Kuvick, who were all extremely interested in Kagome.

Kuvick had been 'delayed', they soon found out from a retainer who seemed extremely fascinated by every bit of Kagome's anatomy.  Finally, figuring that she didn't have to put up with sexual harassment, she slapped him away when he tried to caress her butt.  Sesshoumaru merely looked at the demon when he started to tell Kagome off, and everyone got the hint after that.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" a husky voice cut into the background conversation, halting it all together.  The ranks parted to reveal the speaker, a beautiful female demon.  Her kimono was slipping off a creamy shoulder, revealing the curve of a breast.  Her hair was blacker than night and she had a blue stripe across each cheek.

Sesshoumaru stiffened beside Kagome.  When the girl looked up at him, she read the signs instantly from long practice.  The demon lord was not happy to be in this situation.  In fact, she would bet that he would do almost anything to get out of it.

A plan flashed through Kagome's mind, and she nearly grinned, though she managed to suppress the urge.  With a glare at the demon woman, she slipped an arm around Sesshoumaru's waist and leaned into him.  Ignoring his slightly surprised look, she smiled possessively at the woman's spluttering.  "Who's your friend, Sesshy-chan?" she asked with almost a purr.  She felt the demon lord's arm tighten as he caught on.

"Melira of the Northern Provinces," he answered her, then turned to the now furious demon.  "Melira, this is Kagome, the rei-youkai."  Seething the woman bowed slightly before turning on one heel and stalking away.  With a barely contained smirk, Kagome bowed back at the retreating figure.

At that moment, the herald entered to announce that Kuvick had arrived.  Sesshoumaru released Kagome, but not before he whispered in her ear, "You didn't have to do that you know."

"I know," Kagome replied in the same manner, "But it was fun."

***

Kuvick looked her over, asked a few questions to which she answered as Sesshoumaru had instructed her, and poked and prodded.  Knowing that she wouldn't get away with slapping the lord of the city, Kagome gritted her teeth and stuck it out.  Sesshoumaru made sure that Kuvick didn't feel her up, for which she was grateful.

Finally, Kuvick announced that he would like to see her fight.  Sesshoumaru flatly refused, saying that he would not allow her to shed blood in Kuvick's home.  The lord laughed loudly at that, but decided that it would be better to let them go rather than press the issue, probably because he feared Sesshoumaru's wrath, which was quickly becoming more tangible.

As soon as they were dismissed, Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome's wrist and proceeded to drag her out of the castle.  She didn't resist.  They reached the inn faster than it took to get to the castle.

Once they were in their room, Sesshoumaru turned to the girl with a question that had been bothering him.  "Why did you do that?  With Melira, I mean."

Kagome grinned as she slipped behind the screen to change into her fighting clothes, which had been cleaned.  "You should have seen the look on your face," she explained with a laugh.  "Who was she anyway, and ex?"

"She has been trying to get into my bed for some time now."  The rueful tone in the demon lord's voice made Kagome laugh harder.  Sesshoumaru frowned.

Kagome came out, folding the kimono.  When she got to the demon lord, she patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.  "Believe me, I know exactly how you feel."  Thoughts of Hojo passed through her mind and she grimaced.

"You realize they think we're mates now?"

"What are you worried about?  They think I'm a soul-demon, and you said that they would accept me as a real demon.  So your precious reputation is fine."

"I said most demons, not all," Sesshoumaru shot back, even as he wondered why they were having such a strange conversation.  It wasn't like he really cared what those idiots in the castle thought.

"Do you?"

The demon lord blinked.  "Yes."

"Then there's no problem, is there?" Kagome finished proudly.

"If you say so," Sesshoumaru said placating.  "Now, let's get out of here before Kuvick comes to the same conclusion and decides that you'd make a good mate for him."

Kagome shuddered at the thought.  "Not another one."

Uwagi: the kimono style shirt that is worn by samurai.

Next time on 'Promises': 

B0b: *gingerly feeling the bumps on his head* Oww!  *turns to Sesshy* I told you it would work.

*LL is cooing over J0rge, completely ignoring Sesshy*

LL: Oh you poor thing!  Was it traumatizing?  *glomps J0rge* Did those nasty rats try to eat you?

Sesshy: *to B0b* How much do I owe you?

B0b: *counting the bumps on his head*  Lesse, one … two … three, thirty thousand. *LL bonks B0b randomly* Make that forty thousand.

Sesshy: What!  *grumbles as he shells out the cash*

LL: *still glomping J0rge* B0b! You're grounded! No TV for a year!

B0b: But, but … my soaps!

Review responses:

Silver Foxglove: There will be more on what happened to make Kagome hate Inu soon.  Thanks for reviewing!

julie: Thank you!

KristinaSessfan: Thanks so much!

Katzztar: Thank you so much!

ashleekyle: Sess/Kag sap is coming, but you'll have to wait a bit!  Thank you for reviewing!

P.t: Sorry about that, but I thought that that wasn't that bad of a cliffhanger.  Usually I'm worse. *grin* Thanks!

MoonFairy: Hope this answers your question. Thank you!

Eriol's bear: Thanks for the review, and the mental image.  Now why didn't I think of that?

cat: Thank you!

Tamysan: *grin* Thanks much!

Talon DragonFriend: Thank you! Where have you seen shadows before? I just made them up because I needed something strong enough to do Sesshy some damage. Thanks again!

misori-chan: O.O Whoa, you're more hyper than me.  Way to go!  Thanks for the review!

Little Sister: *grin* Yes, angst is good. Here's another chapter for you. Thanks for reviewing!

NaMI: Thank you!

Cacat-angel: Thank you! I wanted to make Sesshy and Kagome friends first so that their relationship could survive all the hell I'm gonna put it through. *evil grin* Now it's your turn to update YAKUZA.  Thanks so much for the review!

holly: Thanks so much!

Amanda: Assuming that Kagome has a four week cycle, she was in 'heat' again, and that's why Sesshy was being grumpy.  Thank you!

Ishi: Thank you!  I'll try not to mangle Miroku and Inu-kun too much. *evil grin*

CX-chan: Kagome's control over the seal is very limited, so she hasn't had the chance to change it yet.  Trust me, when she does, Inu will know it. *grin* And I kind of got the impression that Inu-Yasha could use the sword to protect any human, including Miroku and Sango.  Sorry if I didn't explain that very well, hopefully it will become clearer in the next few chapters.  Thanks for pointing that out!

Akuryu Skadi: Thank you!

jammincat9: Thanks for reviewing!

Anne-twilight: Thanks for the review!

Vegakitty: *gives dog treats to Sesshy* (Sesshy: Oh!  They're the bacon flavored kind!) *clutching her chocolate covered bishounen* Yea, I got a present! And a cheerleader! ^__^; Thanks so much!

verdandi: Thank you! *joins in the general grumbling about schoolwork*

lady love: Thank you! Thank you! Hehe, I'm such a sucker for compliments.

lil debbie: It's not really Sesshy being nice, it's his evil, err, good twin! Hehe, just kidding; I just felt like saying that.  Anyway, thanks for the review!

Sailor Silver Moon: They're not actually in Sesshy's domain anymore, but I figured that he's a pretty famous guy among the demon people, so that's how Kouga knows him.  I'm not planning on having Kouga meet up with Inu and the others, but it's something to think about.  Oh, and you can nitpick all you want, it keeps me on my toes.  Thanks for the insightful review!

rEbEcCa: The reunion is coming up soon, I promise!  Thank you for reviewing!

Gloria Stone: Thanks so much!

Sierra_Falls: Of course I'll email you!  Thank you for reviewing!

tikimoof: Mmm, sugar… *runs off to the pantry to raid the Halloween candy leftovers* I'm trying to keep Sesshy in character as best as possible, but it's really darn hard! As for the rest, you'll just have to wait and see; I'll try not to make you wait too long.  Thank you for reviewing!

Quimberly: Thank you for the review!

Mysticnight: o.O You don't like Sesshy?  Well, we're just going to have to fix that. *rubs hands together deviously* Thanks for reviewing anyway!

DemonBlade: Thank you!!!


	6. The Love That I Lost

LL: *huddled in the corner muttering*  Freud … mass media brainwashing … ketchup!

B0b: Jeez, her Psych test was two days ago.  She still hasn't gotten over it?

Sesshy: *munching on dog treats* You know, I almost feel sorry for her.

B0b and J0rge: O.O

Sesshy: Hey!  I said almost!

LL: Hypothalamus!

Disclaimer: *sniffles* They're not mine.  Whaaa! *glomps Sesshy*

Notes: I haven't really mentioned it in previous chapters, but Sesshy doesn't have his left arm.  And thanks for all your reviews!!

Chapter 6: The Love that I Lost

The soft moonlight filtered through the trees, leaving odd shaped splotches of light and dark to dance over two figures that passed underneath.  Had anyone passed by at that moment, they would have never guessed that the demon Lord of the Western Lands and a human girl from the future were the ones engaged in a heated argument under the stars.  They certainly weren't playing their parts.

"All you're doing is convincing me further that there is no point to this," Kagome hissed, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at her companion.

"You obviously aren't listening then," Sesshoumaru seethed.  "If you continue to attempt to teach yourself magic, eventually you'll make a mistake and end up destroying yourself and probably everything else in your immediate vicinity."

"If I don't learn control, then my magic will get out of hand," Kagome said sweetly, quoting what the demon lord had told her two weeks ago.

Sesshoumaru growled, fed up with the conversation.  "Your control is perfect!  There is no need for you to continue with this nonsense!"

"What are you complaining about?" Kagome yelled, tired of arguing as well, but not willing to back down.  "You started this whole thing!"

Furious at her impertinence, the demon lord grabbed Kagome's chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes.  "Idiot girl!" he hissed softly, "How do you expect me to protect you from yourself?  You will stop your idle experiments with magic, understand?"

For a moment, she looked as though she was seriously considering obeying him … until a mischievous look flashed through her eyes and she grinned wildly.  "I will not," she said with complete confidence, pulling away from him.  "I know what I'm doing, Sesshoumaru.  After all, I **was** a priestess in a past life."

The demon lord watched as she turned and walked away.  "Humans," he growled in resignation before following.

"Men!"

***

The demon lord watched the girl ahead of him warily.  He was worried about this confident attitude of hers about her magic.  Her powers were not a plaything that she could toy with as she pleased, but how could he make her understand that?

It was true that he had encouraged her to learn more about her burgeoning magical skills in the beginning.  He hadn't actually thought that she could do any real harm with them unless pressed to the extreme, like with the shadow demon.  It wasn't until he had found her making creatures out of flame that he realized exactly how strong her powers were, and how potentially dangerous she could be.

At first he had been impressed, if a little nervous that he was traveling with a potential time bomb.  Then, he began to wonder where she had gotten all of that power; she certainly was above the level of a mere priestess, even one assigned to protect the Jewel of Four Souls.

The real miracle was that she hadn't blown herself up already.  He hadn't been lying when he had said that she had perfect control, but he knew that even those who had her level of control had destroyed themselves by playing around with spells that they had no business trying.  Still…

Sesshoumaru drew himself away from his musings to watch the girl in front of him.  She wasn't like any mage he had ever met.  So maybe…

Maybe she was right.  Maybe she was really in no danger.

***

Nearly a month later, Kagome watched the sleeping demon lord smugly as the red glow of her magic faded from the clearing they were camped in.  There was no way he could complain about her using magic now.  True, he had stopped griping at her after their argument four weeks ago, but every now and then she caught him watching her warily from the corner of his eye.  It annoyed her.

She yawned widely, and frowned.  Truthfully, she hadn't expected the spell to take that much out of her; it wasn't that complicated after all.  With another yawn, Kagome lie down beside the sleeping demon, not quite touching, but close enough to feel his body heat radiate from him.

Watching through half-closed eyes, Kagome was once again struck by exactly how beautiful he was.  Unlike Inu-Yasha's course, rough appeal, Sesshoumaru had a refined elegance that spoke of his more worldly experience.  Underneath his surface beauty, even while he slept, she could see flashes of his deadly grace and precision in battle.  It was this deadly beauty that she was attracted to.

Too bad he was a jerk.

More often of late, Kagome had to keep reminding herself of that fact.  The Sesshoumaru that she traveled with was vastly different from the Sesshoumaru that had poked Inu-Yasha's eye out without blinking to get his father's tomb.  No doubt he was just being nice to her; he had sense after all, and there was no reason to make their travels together more painful than necessary.  There was no way that he would ever feel anything for her, friendship or otherwise.  He didn't even like humans.

But what about Rin? The disgustingly optimistic part of her kept asking.

Kagome didn't know about Rin.  All she knew was that she wasn't about to fall for someone who would never really care about her.  She had done that with Inu-Yasha, and wasn't too hot about repeating the experience.

With one final gaze at the figure beside her, Kagome closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.

***

Sesshoumaru started awake at the sound of a chirping bird.  How long had he been asleep?  For that matter, when did he fall asleep?  The last thing he remembered was talking to Kagome last night, and then waking up here.

He was relieved to note that Kagome was fast asleep and neither of them was tied up, bloody, or exhibiting any other signs that they were in danger.  The demon lord pushed himself up on one elbow, running a hand through his hair to smooth out the tangles.

Wait a minute.

Sesshoumaru sat up fully in one smooth motion, holding **both** his hands in front of him for inspection.  With a hiss of surprise, he realized they were both there.  Paying more attention to his left arm, he confirmed once more that it was his, not some fake or replacement.  In fact, but for the scar around his shoulder where the original cut had been made, there was nothing to show that he had ever been in that dreadful fight with his brother.  The demon stripes across his forearm were even there.

He glanced toward the still sleeping Kagome.  Was it possible?  Could she have really restored his arm?  She must have, he reasoned, for there was no other reasonable explanation.

Flexing his restored arm absently, the demon lord inched closer to the girl.  Her soft scent wafted up towards him, but she didn't even stir as he hovered directly above her.  Leaning closer, he touched his lips to her soft ones, not enough to even really be called a kiss, a silent thank you that he would never be able to say aloud.

Pushing himself up, the demon lord took one more glance at the girl before turning away.  He had just barely made it to the edge of the clearing when his sensitive ears caught sounds of her stirring.  He stopped, but refused to turn around, not exactly sure what he would see, not exactly sure that he wanted to see what he expected.

Kagome yawned and popped her back audibly.  "Morning, Fluffy," she mumbled sleepily.  A pause, then, "What's wrong?"

He turned to see her watching him curiously.  He held up his left arm, fist clenched.  "I did not ask you to do this," he grated out, his voice as tense as the rest of him.  That wasn't the real problem, of course, but there was no way he was about to admit to Kagome that he had been wondering what she tasted like.

She stretched lazily, and replied cheerfully, "I didn't ask you to teach me to fight either.  So now we're even."  Her face fell, "You aren't pleased?  I thought you would be."

The demon looked away.  "It matters not either way."  For some reason Kagome seemed to take that to mean that he was happy to have his arm back, for she clapped her hands together joyfully and grinned.

They broke camp with the ease of practice, hiding any trace that could point out that they had been there.  "Hey Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked while she gathered her things, "Do you think that maybe we could head back towards the well?  My birthday is coming up soon and I want to check on my family."

The demon lord pondered what she had said for a moment before replying, "I suppose we can.  But we'll take a different route back to see if we can find more shards on the way."

"Sounds good to me," Kagome said with a grin, shouldering her bag and heading south.  Sesshoumaru didn't waste any time in following.

They were both quiet for a moment, and in fact, most of their journey so far had been spent in such silence, for neither of them felt a need to fill up the silence with hollow words.  While they walked, Sesshoumaru's nimble mind whirled in thought.  It was very likely that they would meet up with his hanyou brother and Kagome's former companions, especially if they continued on their current path, which was a more direct route to the village.  However, the demon lord was uncertain on how the girl would react when they did eventually see Inu-Yasha again.  She hadn't been too thrilled about meeting up with him the last time.  But now, she had no excuses.

He glanced at her for a split-second before turning to watch the path ahead of them.  Searching for a way to bring up the subject, he was surprised when Kagome spoke.  "So, you think we'll see the others?"  The youkai didn't have to ask whom she was talking about.

"Probably," he said noncommittally.  "And you will get the sword."

Kagome turned to him and smiled, a dark, secretive smile.  "You bet.  And I've got just the plan to get it too."

***

_Inu-Yasha…_

Kagome gave a mental sigh at the thoughts of her former dog-hanyou companion.  It was odd, but the thought of him no longer made her heart ache or tears well up in her eyes.  When she had first run from him, she had tried everything to keep from thinking of him.  Instead, she tried to remind herself of her destination, or her mission.  Without realizing it, every demon that had thought her easy pickings had become an outlet for her anger at Inu-Yasha's betrayal.  She lost count of all the creatures that she killed while on her way to Sesshoumaru's castle.

While with Sesshoumaru, she began to think of Inu-Yasha less and less.  Sometimes though, when she woke up after one of her terrible dreams, she wished that she could see him again.

She couldn't really complain though; it was her fault that things had turned out that way that they did…

"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome screamed, struggling against the bonds that held her against the tree.  A very pissed off Kikyo stood between her and the hanyou.  Shippou and the others stood off to the side helplessly.  The dead priestess had already made it perfectly clear that Kagome would die if they interfered.  The girl was already bleeding from numerous cuts inflicted by Kikyo, but she hardly noticed, Inu-Yasha was about to be killed!

Inu-Yasha was even attempting to fight Kikyo; Tetsusaiga was still in its sheath.  He didn't even look towards Kagome as she screamed his name.  Kikyo attacked, strung an arrow on her bow, aiming it directly at Inu-Yasha's heart.  The hanyou didn't move from his position, head down, accepting his fate.

Tears welled in Kagome's eyes.  She knew what he was doing; Inu-Yasha had never been able to bring himself to hurt Kikyo before, why would now be any different?  Her struggles to get free from her magical bonds increased in intensity.  The spell, sensing her retaliation, fought back, inflicting several more deep cuts across her wrists and stomach.  Vaguely, she could hear her friends' shouts, but the only voice she was listening for was Inu-Yasha's, who was silent.  Her cuts screamed, but she ignored them, pushing further.  She had to get free, to help Inu-Yasha.

The twang of a bowstring sliced through her dulled senses as she watched Kikyo release her arrow.  It thudded into Inu-Yasha's shoulder, but he would have reacted more had a paper ball hit him.  "NO!" Kagome screamed, straining harder, only to have to fall back from exhaustion.  There had to be a way to stop this.

"Kikyo!" she called out.  The priestess turned, leveling her angry gaze at Kagome.  The bonds around her tightened, but Kagome wasn't about to let that stop her.  "Why are you doing this?"

"Because," Kikyo replied calmly, as if they were talking over tea, "I'm tired of his games.  He belongs with me, and yet he stays with you."

Kagome blinked.  "Inu-Yasha?"  Kikyo still loved Inu-Yasha?

"He has betrayed me again!" Kikyo wailed.

"No he hasn't," Kagome said softly.  Her heart was shattering, but it was nothing when she compared it to all that Kikyo had been through in her life.  Gods help her, but she actually felt sorry for her.  "He cares about you; he always has.  Please don't do this."  Kikyo watched her intently, as if she could see a lie.

"You don't have to be alone anymore," Kagome continued desperately.  "Come with us. We'd all be thrilled to have your help."  Kikyo looked around, to see the reassuring faces of Kagome's friends, who had fortunately caught on.

Suddenly, the bonds holding Kagome disappeared, and she dropped to the ground.  Leaning back against the tree she'd been pinned to, the girl breathed a sigh of relief, only to start as Kikyo walked slowly toward Inu-Yasha.  But she only pulled the arrow out of his shoulder, and pressed her hand to the wound.

Kagome looked away then, unable to stand anymore of the look in Inu-Yasha's eyes.  She wouldn't say anything about it though.  She would never say anything about it though; she couldn't now.

Her train of thought was broken when Shippou launched himself at her, and she was occupied with assuring him that she was all right.  Looking up, she saw Inu-Yasha holding Kikyo tightly to his chest…

The next few weeks had been hell, but Kagome endured it silently, not wanting to bother others with her troubles.  Still, her sour mood seemed to pervade throughout the whole group, save for Inu-Yasha and Kikyo, who seemed to be living in a world of their own.  Shippou was oddly quiet for a normally so talkative child.  He had nearly stopped teasing Inu-Yasha all together.  Miroku still groped Sango occasionally, but Kagome seriously suspected that it was more for the sake of normalcy than for anything else.  Then again, it was hard to tell with Miroku.

Still, every time Kagome looked at Kikyo and the happy smile that regularly graced her face, she found that she couldn't get up the guts to say anything to Inu-Yasha.  They never fought anymore, and the times that she went home, the hanyou didn't argue.  Kagome found that she almost missed trying to dodge an angry dog-demon on the way to the well.  Still, she lived with it.

Until one night, she woke up to Kikyo trying to steal her soul again.  She had just barely managed to get away, but Inu-Yasha hadn't believed her when she told him.  That had hurt more than watching him act lovingly toward Kikyo for the past two weeks.  He had thrown away all that they had been through together and called her a liar to her face.

She had left that night, unable to stand it anymore.

***

Sesshoumaru watched his companion take on the distant look of those that are not thinking in the present.  Not for the first time, he wondered what was going through that sharp mind of hers.  Not that he was about to ask.

Kagome sighed softly, shaking away whatever she was thinking about.  She looked up at him with a small smile, but said nothing.  For once, Sesshoumaru wanted to talk with her.  He wanted to know how she thought, how she felt.

"Are you all right?" he finally settled on asking.

She sighed again, losing her smile and looking away, "I suppose so."

The demon snorted, "What's the matter?"

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome said, looking back up at him with tears in her eyes.  "I thought … I thought he trusted me.  I thought we were friends, but…"  She trailed off, not quite sure about how much more she should say.

"But?" Sesshoumaru prompted, much to her surprise.  He smiled inwardly; she obviously had had no idea how curious he was.  Nervously, she told him of how Kikyo had tried to kill her – worse than kill her – and Inu-Yasha had sided with the dead woman.  Throughout her story, Sesshoumaru listened patiently.  When she was done, he looked up at the clear sky, processing what she had told him.  Truly, his brother was a fool.  But it was obvious that that wasn't what Kagome needed to hear.  She berated herself for staying with him for so long, and agreeing with her wasn't going to make her feel any better.

For a moment, the demon lord wondered why he was even bothering to spare her feelings.  But he brushed the thought away impatiently.  It wouldn't do him any good to make her upset when a few choice words could put her in a better mood so he wouldn't have to listen to her bitching.  Yea, that was it.

"Our father died when Inu-Yasha was very young, so he never had the chance to learn any honor," Sesshoumaru began carefully, wondering at the same time why he was sticking up for his half-breed brother.

"Not like you huh?" Kagome said with a grin.  "You know, before I got to know you, I would have said that Inu-Yasha was the better man."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl, startled.  She was complimenting him?  Normally, he would have brushed it off as nothing, but coming from Kagome, who had almost no respect for nobles, it meant a lot more, since he knew it wasn't lip service.  Where Inu-Yasha had had some trouble, Sesshoumaru easily saw that above all, Kagome was completely honest.

He smirked, "And I would have said that you were a ditzy, worthless human."

***

Sure enough, a few weeks later, Sesshoumaru caught the scent of Inu-Yasha and the rest.  They were headed toward the village on a parallel course to theirs.  When he told Kagome, she frowned in thought.

"Can we stay away from them until they get to the village?  I think that Inu-Yasha will be more off guard there."

Sesshoumaru nodded, commenting that his sense of smell was shaper than Inu-Yasha's so they could keep track of him without him realizing it.  "By the way," he continued as they altered their course, "What's your plan?"

Kagome grinned up at him.  "Simple.  I'm going to make him think that you kidnapped me and wait until he falls asleep."

"You think he'll fall for that?"  The demon lord asked.

The girl snorted.  "You really need to ask that?  There would be no other reason for me to disappear in the middle of the night after all.  It's not like Inu-Yasha did anything to upset me or anything like that."

Sesshoumaru chuckled, and grabbed Kagome, rising into the air.  She flung her arms around his neck for balance, shifting her glaive into a more comfortable position.  They were used to this, Sesshoumaru often carried Kagome when she got tired or when they needed to go faster than Kagome could go.

They made good time to the well, making it by mid-afternoon.  Kagome looked at the wooden structure longingly, but she knew that she would have to get the sword from Inu-Yasha first before she could visit her family again.  Turning to the dog-demon, who was looking in the direction of the village, she said, "Hey Sesshoumaru, I'm gonna need your help."  He looked down at her curiously, raising one silken eyebrow in a silent question.  Kagome gestured to herself, "I don't exactly look like I've been spending the last few months as your prisoner.  So just rough me up a bit."

The demon lord frowned, "I swore to protect you."

"You're not scared are you?" Kagome teased even as she flipped her glaive and stuck the point into the earth, digging some up.  Bending down, she grabbed a handful of dirt and rubbed it through her hair, mussing it up at the same time.  With another handful, she smudged her cheeks and arms, giving the impression that she was filthy.  "Come on, I need those claws of yours.  I can't rip these clothes by myself."

Sesshoumaru sighed, "Where?"  Kagome pointed out a few choice spots, and Sesshoumaru slit the fabric open.  Pretty soon, she looked much as she had when she had first set foot in his study months ago.

Stepping back, she twirled around for him, "Well, how do I look?"

"Like you've been dragged through the mud by your heels," the demon replied honestly.

"Great!"

Sesshoumaru sighed.  Looking up sharply, he announced, "They're coming."

Kagome handed him her glaive.  Her cheerful attitude was gone in an instant, replaced by a serious one.  "Wait here.  This may take me a while."

"Kagome.  You'll be all right."  It took the girl a moment to realize that Sesshoumaru was asking her a question.

"I'll be fine," she grinned at him.  With a wave, she took off, "Wish me luck!"

Sesshoumaru watched her go.  "Good luck," he whispered.

Next time: Kagome gets the Tetsusaiga…

LL: *glomping Sesshy* I just know that everyone's going to kill me for that cliffhanger.

Sesshy: I'm going to kill you if you don't let me go.

Review Responses:

ice-cold: Thanks!

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MUMSI: *fans MUMSI* Umm, are you ok?  Here's another chappy for you!  Thanks for reviewing!

Dark Star: *sighs* Yea, I realized that I forgot to put the teaser about two days after I posted it.  Ah well, thanks for reviewing!

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Sailor Silver Moon: Yea, you should definently be tested for psychic powers; I already had the laundry scene when I got your review. =P Actually, Kagome doesn't have much control over her powers at the end of chapter 5, but she's getting better pretty fast.  Meditation will do that for you.  Hmm, maybe Melira is related to Miroku. *shudders*  But don't worry about nitpicking too much, you can't scar me any worse than I already am from school.  Thanks as always for the review!

P.t: Don't kill me for the evil cliffhanger! *runs off to hide* Thanks for reviewing!

Lady-Destiny: Thanks! Though I'm not exactly going to be nice to Inu throughout this fic.  But I promise not to insult him!

Ichigo: Thanks for the review!

CX-chan: I'm not going to bring back the bow and arrows entirely, but I'll be sure to put in a scene where Kagome uses them again.  I hope your sisters don't decide to commit you on my account. *grin* Thanks for the review!

NinjaRage: Thanks!! But there's no way that I'm better than Phillip Pullman; he's a genius!  Thanks again!

Pearl: Hehe, you'll just have to wait and find out!  Thanks for the review!

dark angel: Don't worry, this is going to go on for a while.  Thanks for reviewing!

Little Sister: You may have to wait a little while for more fluff, but there will be plenty more to come!  Thanks!

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Lunakitty: Your questions will be answered soon. *grin* Thanks for the review!  

Cacat-angel: I'm terrible with names, and I didn't want to take forever to find some for the demon, so I just put down the first ones that came to mind.  If you have any better ones, I'd love the suggestions, and be perfectly happy to change them.  Hehe, now that I've updated, it's your turn!  Thanks for he review!

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Talon DragonFriend: Thanks for the article; it was really interesting.  I looked up soul on a Japanese/English dictionary online, and one of the things that came up was rei.  It seemed to fit, so I used it.  Thanks for the review!

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misori-chan: Hehe, you think I'm going to make it that easy? *evil grin* And they call him Fluffy because he turns into the giant dog thing.  *glomps Fluffy* Ain't he cute!  Thanks much!

AngelOkibi: Thank you!


	7. Deceiving Friends

LL: *hiding behind Sesshy* Please don't kill me!  I don't want to get gnawed to bits by rabid dogs!  I don't wanna get sacrificed!

Sesshy: *moving away from LL* She's all yours.

LL: *throws chapter at angry readers* Take it!  Read! Don't eat me!

J0rge: Eat you? Where did that come from?

LL: Umm, B0b.

B0b: Hey!

*knock*knock*

LL: Itwasn'tmyfaultIdidn'tdoitYoucan'tproveit!

Sesshy: Huh?

LL: Sorry, gut reaction.  B0b, get the door.

Sesshy: Door?  Where?

LL: Uhh, that's not the door out … that's the closet door.

J0rge: Oh brother.

B0b: *leading in Shippou* You know this kid? He says you invited him.

LL: *glomps Shippou* Shippou! You made it! Now we can have a slumber party! *Shippou and LL turn to grin evilly at Sesshy*

Sesshy: *backing away* Umm, I wasn't really going to let the rabid fans sacrifice you!  B0b? J0rge? A little help here?

Disclaimer: *evil grin* We don't own any characters in Inu-Yasha; we're just borrowing them for a bit.  No anime characters were harmed – permanently – in the making of this fic.

A/N: Whoa! I got on to do my review responses, and I had _205_ reviews!!!  Thank you guys! I love you all! *glomps reviewers*  And eight whole death threats! Wow! I am so proud! Thanks again!

Chapter 7: Deceiving Friends

As she walked away, Kagome swore that she heard Sesshoumaru wish her luck, but she brushed it away as her imagination.  She didn't have time to dwell on the demon lord anyway; getting Inu-Yasha to believe her was going to be hard enough without any distractions.

She stopped for a moment at the edge of the clearing where the village lay.  With a deep breath, she began to prepare herself, even as she looked around for her friends and Inu-Yasha.  The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the scene in vivid oranges and yellows.  A light shone from Kaede's window.  _They must be there,_ Kagome thought.

The door to Kaede's slid open, and a figure dressed in red stepped out, looking around.  Here we go.  Kagome sagged, as if she was exhausted, one hand rested on the tree beside her, seemingly holding her up.  Her head rose tiredly, just as Inu-Yasha looked in her direction.

One look into those golden eyes was all it took for tears to form in Kagome's blue ones.  "Inu-Yasha!" she screamed, launching herself at him.  He caught her half way, and Kagome slid her hands around his chest, burying her head into the crook of his neck, sobbing loudly.  She felt his hand smooth over her hair in a comforting gesture and allowed herself a small smile into his coat.  Inu-Yasha had always been a sucker for her tears.

Schooling her face back into a distressed expression, Kagome pulled away from Inu-Yasha, but allowed herself to remain within the circle of his arms.  Desperately, she tried to push away the furious beating of her heart that always seemed to accompany being touched by Inu-Yasha.  Over the hanyou's shoulder, she could see a scowling Kikyo, as well as her worried friends.  She resisted the urge – barely – to smirk triumphantly at the dead priestess.

Inu-Yasha's hand stroked her cheek, bringing her attention back to the half-demon.  Her breath caught as she saw the worried look in his beautiful golden eyes that looked so much like Sesshoumaru's.

Wait a minute.  Did she just compare Inu-Yasha to his brother?

"Are you ok?" Inu-Yasha asked softly.  "We were worried about you."

Kagome scrunched up her face and burst into tears again, grabbing onto Inu-Yasha.  "It was terrible!" she sobbed into his shoulder.  "Sesshoumaru, he-he kidnapped me, I'm not sure how, but I woke up and he was there, and…"  She broke off in another burst of tears.

"Shh," Inu-Yasha soothed, stroking her hair.  "It's all right, you're safe now.  Don't you worry about a thing; I'll take care of Sesshoumaru."  Kagome calmed her tears slowly, until she was no longer crying.

Pulling away, she smiled sadly at the hanyou.  "Thank you Inu-Yasha."  She pulled completely away from him and went to receive the affections of a frenzied Shippou and Sango and Miroku's welcome back.  _You're such a sucker, Inu-Yasha.  And this time, you'll know what it's like to be betrayed._

***

Kagome managed to convince Inu-Yasha not to rush off blindly after his brother, telling him that she just wanted to have a warm meal and get some sleep, but she wouldn't feel safe if he left her.  Finally, the hanyou reluctantly agreed, but not without some grumbling.  He was furious, Kagome noted as she watched him rage, furious that Sesshoumaru had dared to lay a hand on **her**.  A little twinge of happiness shot through her heart at the thought, proving that she wasn't as over the dog-demon as she had thought.

_Don't be an idiot,_ she told herself firmly as they sat in Kaede's hut to eat, _the only reason he is acting like this is because he sees me as Kikyo's reincarnation._  She sighed softly at the though, causing Shippou, who was sitting in her lap, to look up.

"Are you sure you're all right, Kagome?" Shippou asked.

She smiled down at him warmly; she regretted the necessity of leaving the little kitsune behind, as well as Sango and Miroku, but she had really had no choice.  None of them would have understood why she went to Sesshoumaru.  She doubted they would when they found out.  Hopefully they wouldn't hate her for it though.  "I'll be ok," the girl reassured Shippou, smoothing a hand over his hair.  "Now that I'm back."

Inu-Yasha growled, "That bastard Sesshoumaru!  I never thought he'd stoop so low, what'd he want **you** for anyway?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed.  "I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count," she snapped, infuriated at his insinuation that she was worth nothing.  What had she ever found attractive in the guy anyway?

Kaede broke into the conversation before it could get out of hand.  "The sword, Tetsusaiga, I imagine."  The old woman paused in thought.  "In any case, you were lucky to get away alive."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed.  "How did you manage that anyway, Kagome-sama?"

Kagome froze, realizing the hole in her story.  "Uhh, he left for a moment," she blurted out, making something up on the spot, "and left his toady Jaken to guard me.  I managed to knock him out and get away before Sesshoumaru got back."

Inu-Yasha snorted in derision, "So the perfect warrior finally let his guard down.  That's not like him."

"I was pretty roughed up at the time; I don't think that he thought I'd be able to overpower Jaken," Kagome added hastily.

"Then how'd you manage to; if you were in such bad shape?" Inu-Yasha retorted, still a little peeved about her sharp comment earlier.

Kagome was silent for a moment, as if she was remembering.  "I-I'm really not sure."  She sagged for a moment before looking up pleadingly at the hanyou, "I don't remember most of it, and I'd rather not think about it."

"Then you shouldn't," Miroku said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  She smiled wearily at him, for once grateful for his presence.  At least, until she felt his hand slid down her back stealthily. "Don't even think about it," she warned, narrowing her eyes.  The hand removed itself like magic, and the monk took on an innocent expression.

Kagome snorted and looked away, towards Inu-Yasha.  She yawned.  "I think I'd like to get some sleep now.  Inu-Yasha, will you stay with me; I'd feel safer if you're here."  The dog-demon nodded, oblivious to Kikyo's glare, and they all got ready to settle down for the night.

Kagome ended up on a palate next to Inu-Yasha, pretending to sleep while listening to her companion's quiet breathing.  The second he fell asleep, she would make her move.

***

Kagome was back!  The thought threaded through the hanyou's mind like an intoxicating drug.  He had hardly been able to believe it when he smelled her at the edge of the forest; but when he rushed outside, there she was, as beautiful as ever, despite being a little worse for wear.  When she launched herself into his arms, he had thought that his heart would explode, as silly as that sounded.

He had missed her so much.  His Kagome.  He had never realized how much he actually enjoyed her presence before.  Sure, the absence of 'sits' was nice, but he had actually missed arguing with her.  Despite the fact that he could beat the crap out of her ten times over before she could even throw a punch, she had never showed any reservation in telling him exactly what she thought when she was pissed.  Her brutal honesty, her caring, her beauty, Inu-Yasha could name a thousand more things besides these that he admired in the girl.  A thousand more things that he had missed while she was gone.

Turning over, he watched the girl sleep next to him, curled up peacefully with Shippou.  Touching the hilt of the battered Tetsusaiga that lay between them, he made a silent vow to never allow anything to happen to her again.  He loved her, the hanyou realized while he watched her sleep.  He had hurt her unbelievably though, in his stupid chase after Kikyo.  But when he had finally obtained the resurrected priestess, it had been Kagome that his thoughts had turned to.  Finally he had realized that he loved Kagome, not the reincarnation of Kikyo, not Kikyo, but Kagome.  His Kagome.  He loved her, and first thing in the morning, he was going to tell her just that.

_First thing in the morning,_ Inu-Yasha promised himself as he settled down to sleep.  _I'll tell you first thing in the morning._

***

Sesshoumaru watched the moon as it made its nightly journey across the sky.  It had been hours since he had parted ways with Kagome, where was she?

She did say that she would be gone a while though.  And that did make sense, considering the time it would take to carry out her plan.  She would have to have time to break the seal while still in Inu-Yasha's presence, which meant that she couldn't just grab the sword and run.

Despite all of this, Sesshoumaru couldn't stop himself from worrying.  What if she had changed her mind?  What if Inu-Yasha had seduced her back to his side?  Or worse yet, what if she had been discovered in her ruse and she was in danger?  The last thought almost made the demon lord storm off in the direction of the village, if only to catch a glimpse of her alive and well.  He seriously doubted that his half-brother had a rational bone in his body and had no doubt that he would attack her if he even suspected that she was betraying him.

But he stopped himself just in time.  He had told Kagome that he would wait, so he would wait, no matter how hard it was.  Besides, the girl was getting pretty good at protecting herself.

Gripping her glaive with more force than necessary, the demon lord glanced up at the moon, which had hardly moved since the last time he had checked.  He was going to wait, but couldn't she hurry up?

***

Kagome's eyes snapped open the second she heard Inu-Yasha snore.  Perfect, the sword was just a few inches away, and Inu-Yasha's hand was still touching it lightly.  All she had to do was touch it and…

Scratch that.  First she had to remove Shippou from her midsection.  The poor thing was so relieved to see her that he had attached himself to her even in his sleep.  Fortunately, she had plenty of practice prying off death grips, thanks to the baby's fascination with Sesshoumaru's hair.

Once she had managed to pry the kitsune away, she wrapped him in a blanket and settled him just far enough away that they weren't touching, but not so far that he would wake up.  Turning around, she slowly slid the Tetsusaiga out of its sheath, wincing every time Inu-Yasha so much as twitched.  After several long moments, she withdrew the blade completely.  It took but a few moments for her to draw her hand over the metal and find the seal that had been meticulously placed on the sword.  Taking a deep breath, she pushed her magic into the seal, melting it and remolding it to her specifications.

She looked up just as the last of her magic faded from view.  Grimacing, she lay down again, making sure to keep her hand on the sword hilt.  Kikyo had to still be awake, she was dead after all; it wasn't like she needed sleep.  And she wasn't blind.  Closing her eyes, Kagome slowed her breathing instinctively as she waited.

Sure enough, it was only a matter of moments before the shoji door slid open, and careful footsteps made their way to Kagome's bed.  Her hand tightened around the sword hilt, the rough feel of its wrappings reassuring her.  _Use your senses,_ Sesshoumaru's long ago advice whispered though her brain.  Pushing away the sound of her heartbeat, she listened.

A whish of air, and she brought up the blade to clash loudly with a dagger.  Her blue-gray eyes snapped open to look into Kikyo's flat dead ones.  "You won't get me like that this time," she whispered with a smirk.

"Kikyo?  Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked sleepily, sitting up beside her.  "What's going on?"

Kagome looked around.  Shippou was awake as well, watching silently from the edge of her palate.  Inu-Yasha reached for the Tetsusaiga.  "Don't," Kagome snapped, grabbing the sheath and sliding the sword into it.  Taking advantage of their confusion, she stood, the sword still in her hand.

Kikyo backed away, radiating fury.  Inu-Yasha leaned forward, still baffled, and tried to grab the sword.  Before the protection spell could activate, Kagome swept it out of Inu-Yasha's reach.  Turning to the kitsune, she whispered, "I'm sorry."  Then she ran.

With a swift kick, she knocked Kikyo out of the way and bolted out of the door.  She could hear Miroku and Sango's puzzled calls as she raced past them.  But she didn't have time to answer; Inu-Yasha was already rousing himself out of his stupor.  _Tell them I'm sorry, Shippou.  I'm sorry…_

***

Inu-Yasha glared at Shippou as if he could explain what was going on.  The kitsune looked as bewildered as he felt, however.  What was going on?  Hearing a groan from the corner, Inu-Yasha turned to see Kikyo struggling up from where she had landed when Kagome kicked her.

The dog-demon sprung up, grabbing his girlfriend.  "What happened Kikyo?" he asked sternly.

For a moment, she shrunk back at his tone of voice, which, for the first time in nearly six months, was cold towards her.  Then her eyes narrowed as she realized that Inu-Yasha was forsaking her for her reincarnation.  "What do you think, Inu-Yasha?" she hissed, pulling out of his grasp, "Your precious Kagome has betrayed you."

"No!" Shippou shouted, "Kagome wouldn't!"  Inu-Yasha looked from the priestess to the kitsune.  Before another word could be said, he was off, chasing after Kagome.

_She can't have betrayed me.  She can't!_ he thought desperately as he rushed past Miroku and Sango – who by now were **very** confused.  _Sesshoumaru, what have you done to her?_

Growling, he increased his speed.  Kagome's scent was easy to follow, laden as it was with the spicy tang of magic.  More magic than Kagome was capable of working, which suggested to the hanyou that his brother had put a spell on her.  "I'll get you for this, Sesshoumaru," he howled.

It wasn't hard to catch up to the girl, but her speed had definitely increased.  They were very close to the well, which was farther than he would have expected she would get.  "Kagome!" he called to her retreating figure.

She stopped.

Inu-Yasha skidded to a stop as well, only a few feet away from the girl, who hadn't turned.  Maybe he could get her back.  He had to get her back.  "Kagome," he whispered softly, reaching out to her.

She twisted so that she was facing him, her blue-gray eyes flickering with something that he couldn't name.  "Inu-Yasha," she whispered back, just barely loud enough for her to hear.  Her eyes softened.  She was coming back to him!

She turned back towards the well, her hand tightening around the sword.  Inu-Yasha took a step forward.  "Kagome?"

"Sit boy."

By the time Inu-Yasha managed to struggle back up, Kagome was gone.

"Sesshoumaru!"

***

The demon lord started as he heard his brother scream his name.  Before he could even begin to wonder what was going on, Kagome stepped into the clearing.

"Here," she shoved the sword at him, "Let's go."  Gingerly, Sesshoumaru wrapped his hand around the sword hilt.  When he found that he could touch it, he couldn't help himself, he grinned.  "Whoa," Kagome muttered, "Don't do that, it's scary.  Come on."

"Where is Inu-Yasha?" Sesshoumaru asked, ignoring her pleas.

"He's **coming**, which is why we need to leave," the girl hissed.

The demon lord shook his head.  "No, I need to take care of him.  Inu-Yasha will never stop trying to get the Tetsusaiga back unless I stop him now."  In a softer tone he added, "You don't have to stay."

Kagome grabbed her glaive from him and twirled it aimlessly for a moment, studying the ground.  "No," she said finally, "Kikyo will try to help Inu-Yasha.  I'll make sure she doesn't get in your way."  She turned to leave, but the demon lord caught her arm.

"Don't overdo it," he warned.

She snorted, slinging her glaive over her shoulder nonchalantly.  "You worry too much.  I'll be fine."  And she was gone, before he could say another word.

Sesshoumaru shook his head at her confidence and set to tying the sheath of Tetsusaiga to his sash with his other swords.  As soon as he was done, Inu-Yasha burst through the trees into the clearing.  "Sesshoumaru!" he bellowed, "What have you done to Kagome?"

The demon lord blinked.  The boy though that he had coerced Kagome into working for him?  With a short laugh, he answered, "Nothing at all.  She came to me when you forced her away."

"You're lying!" Inu-Yasha yelled, attacking.  Sesshoumaru dodged his claws easily.  "She said you kidnapped her!"

"In a ploy to get the sword," the demon reminded his half-brother.  "And you fell for it."  He grinned, loosening the Tenseiga, "Don't feel bad about your loss, though.  I'll trade you."  He tossed Tenseiga at his brother who caught it deftly before throwing it to the ground.

Sesshoumaru shrugged, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga and preparing to attack.  Inu-Yasha appeared not to notice – or care – as he lunged again.  The demon lord sighed.  This was almost too easy.

***

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku yelled as he saw her streak past him.  They had been following Inu-Yasha, fearing an attack.

The girl stopped, scanning the three of them brusquely.  "Where's Kikyo?" she asked coldly.

Miroku, for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words.  He had never seen Kagome so … evil looking, with a well-worn glaive in one hand, and an expression that said she knew how to use it.  Worse, she was glowing with a blood red aura, as if she'd been possessed by a demon.

Shippou stepped forward hesitantly, "Kagome?  What happened?"

The girl glanced down at the young kitsune, wide-eyed.  "Tell me where Kikyo is," she said finally, "I'll explain on the way."

"She's just behind us, I think," Sango said.  "Kagome-chan, where were you running earlier?"

"Just dropping something off," the girl muttered, her eyes narrowing.  "Get back, all of you."

"Kagome-sama, you're **glowing**," Miroku said warily.

"NOW!"

They moved.  Just in time, for seconds later, the ground where they had been standing exploded.  "Kagome!" Shippou screamed.  But he had nothing to worry about.  When the dust cleared, Kagome was standing in the center, surrounded by a blood red orb.

"Bitch," she muttered, "If you want to kill me, you're going to have to try harder than that."  Kikyo stepped out of the shadows, an arrow on her bow, ready to fire.  Miroku, Shippou, and Sango stepped forward, ready to protect their friend but she waved them back without a word, never taking her eyes from Kikyo.

Her three friends watched in amazement as she attacked the dead priestess with a vengeance.  It was obvious that she had learned a few things while she'd been away.  Kikyo noticed as well.  "You've changed," she snapped.

Kagome smiled grimly, "You haven't.  Pity, I was hoping for a challenge."  Her friends gaped; Kagome had never been like this!

Suddenly, Shippou turned from the fight, sniffing the wind.  Kagome and Kikyo noticed whatever he did as well, but while Kikyo faltered, Kagome pressed her attack, trapping the dead priestess in a bubble.

She turned to her friends as smiled brightly, much like the old Kagome had.  "That was easy."  She frowned, turning in the direction of the well.  "Something's coming."

"Demons," Shippou said, "A lot of them."

Kagome sighed, leaning on her glaive for a moment.  "Joy.  Well, let's go."  She straightened, heading in the direction of the well.  Her friends followed, just as confused as before, if not more so.

***

When they reached the clearing where the well was, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku stopped upon discovering that Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru were engaged in a heated battle.  Furthermore, the demon lord was wielding a fully transformed Tetsusaiga, while Inu-Yasha was just managing to block his attacks with the Tenseiga.  Kagome didn't bother to stop, but only shook her head at the two and waded right in between them.  With an emphatic "sit!" she sent Inu-Yasha sprawling, at the same time, blocking the Tetsusaiga with the blade of her glaive.  It immediately transformed back into the rusted blade as Sesshoumaru backed off, giving the girl a curious glare.

Shippou bounded forward; placing himself between Kagome and the demon lord, and Sango and Miroku moved forward as well, ready to back their friend up.  Inu-Yasha, on the other hand, sprung up spouting curses.  Kagome turned and snapped, "Shove it.  We've got bigger problems."  She tilted her head in the direction of the incoming demons.

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air and growled.  After a moment, Inu-Yasha followed suit.  "Think you two can play nice for a bit?" Kagome drawled sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru leveled a stare at his younger brother.  "Very well," he said finally, "I'll take care of you later."

Inu-Yasha glowered unhappily, but nodded his agreement.  Miroku and Sango stepped forward to stand next to him.  "Shippou," Kagome said quietly, "Stay with me, ok?"  Shippou nodded, hopping onto her shoulder, just as the horde of demons attacked.

In the resulting confusion of battle, Kagome ended up with her back to Sesshoumaru, clutching Shippou to her chest with her right hand and wielding her glaive with her left.  Shippou was doing his part by watching out for the leader of what appeared to be a clan of some kind of bird demons.  Sesshoumaru had pointed out that without leadership, the organization of the group would fall apart.  "There!" he shouted suddenly, pointing out the largest demon of the flock, who was standing towards the back urging his demons forward.

Kagome looked around in the slight break in fighting that she gained after a blast from her glaive.  Inu-Yasha was to the left, bounding back and forth, slashing with his claws, taking out demons one by one.  She couldn't see Miroku and Sango, but she could hear their shouts not too far off.

Setting Shippou onto Sesshoumaru's tail, she ordered him to hold on tight.  "I'm going for it," she told the demon lord when he looked back to glare at her.  "Cover me?"

"You are not," he growled while slashing with the transformed Tetsusaiga, killing a few demons that ventured too close.  "It's too dangerous."

"Nonsense," Kagome retorted.  "I'm small; I'll slip through.  **If** you'll cover me."

With another growl, Sesshoumaru turned and charged.  Kagome followed, and at the last minute, she used her magic to boost herself over the charging youkai and through the guard for the leader.  With one quick slash downward, she cut the demon in half.  At the same time, Sesshoumaru cut through the demon's guards before they could attack Kagome.

With a sigh of relief, Kagome flopped onto her back.  Shippou bounded off Sesshoumaru's shoulder to check on her, while the demon lord stood guard.  "Shippou," Kagome began, sitting up, "I'm going to go with Sesshoumaru.  He's been helping me gather shards."

"You aren't going to stay?" the little kitsune whimpered.  Kagome was leaving him again!

Kagome ran her fingers through his hair reassuringly, "I'll see you again soon, but I can't stay here because I'm really mad at Inu-Yasha right now.  I need you to stay here and explain things to Miroku and Sango for me.  Can you do that?"

Shippou puffed up importantly, "Of course I can, Kagome!  You can count on me!"

She smiled at him tiredly, "Thank you, Shippou-chan.  Now, go see if you can help them out, but be **careful**."  He nodded and bounded off, looking back only once.  Kagome waved him on when he did, putting on a bright smile.  Once he was out of sight, she flopped backwards again.  "Ugh, Sesshy, help me up."

He obliged, seeing that the remaining demons were being taken care of by Inu-Yasha and the others.  Kagome sagged against him, and the demon lord let her, slipping an arm around her waist to hold her up.  "Where are we going?"

"Well," Kagome muttered sleepily, "I need a bath."

Next time on 'Promises': The shard hunt continues, and things get a little hot…

LL: *giving Sesshy a manicure* Tsk, tsk, you really need to take better care of these talons. *pulls out the purple nail polish*  Don't you worry, we'll make them all pretty.

Sesshy: *springing up* Get away from me wench!

LL: *winks at Shippou* Do your stuff, kid. *Shippou prepares to do some random cool kitsune trick*

Sesshy: You don't seriously think that he can actually do anything that will affect me?

LL: Ah, but you forget, this is Ellycian, anything is possible. *LL and Shippou tackle Sesshy tying him up*

Shippou: Hey, Landlady, what'd you say we do a makeover now?

Sesshy: *whimper*

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Sailor Silver Moon: Forget Ms. Cleo, you need what's-her-face from Yu Yu Hakusho.  She's a lot cooler anyway.  You did good anyway, lots of Inu idiocy here. Though personally, I kinda feel sorry for him… Oh well.  *hands Sailor Silver Moon a little fire thingy* Here you go.  Thanks for the review!

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	8. Trouble in ToShima

LL: *hiding behind Sesshy* Don't kill me! If you do, then I really will never finish the story!

Sesshy: Kill her! Maim her! Just get her away from me!

Shippou: You'd better watch it. You don't want to end up in drag again do you? *evil fang bearing grin*

Sesshy: *whimpers* I'll be good.

LL: Ha! I have finally tamed the great Fluffy-sama!

B0b: Took you long enough.

LL: Seriously though, I'm really, really, really sorry that it took me so long to get this chappy out. I've been a little busy.

B0b: *dancing around* Landlady's got a boy- ack! *gets pummeled*

LL: *cough* Yes, and besides that, it's the end of the semester and my professors are trying to get through all the stuff that they have to before finals and are smothering us with work, so I've been pretty busy all around. The next chapter may take me a while too, but I'll try to get it out as soon as possible.

Also, I know I didn't explain why Inu isn't a demon without the Tetsusaiga, but I'll explain that in the next chapter, I think. Eh, I'll get to it eventually. Oh yea, and I'd like to thank Jason Carter for giving me some ideas for this chapter, and everyone else who emailed me.  And of course, everyone who reviewed!!

Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha doesn't belong to me. *sniffles* I'm just corrupting it horribly. *grin*

Chapter 8: Trouble in To-Shima

"They did what?" Inu-Yasha screeched when he had heard what Shippou had to tell them.

"They left to gather shards," Shippou repeated, rubbing his sensitive ears.  He backed into Sango's legs when Inu-Yasha glared at him.

Sango patted the kitsune's head reassuringly.  "Why would Kagome go off with that demon?" she asked, confused.

Shippou glared at the hanyou, who had moved away from them, looking for something.  "Why don't you ask him?" the boy hissed, not loud enough for Inu-Yasha to hear.

"Hey, have you guys seen Kikyo?" the dog-demon called.

"Figures," Miroku grumbled.  "Inu-Yasha and Kagome-sama had a fight just before she disappeared."

"Hey!"

Sango frowned, "But why didn't she just go home, like she always does?"

"Hello!"

"She probably got fed up," Shippou observed, just before Inu-Yasha appeared and grabbed the boy by his fluffy tail.

"Are you deaf?  Where's Kikyo?" he yelled into the poor boy's ear.  For his troubles, he received a hefty thwack from Sango's boomerang, causing him to drop Shippou and clutch his head.  Miroku winced in sympathy.

"She's back that way," he said, pointing in the direction of the village.  "I think."  Inu-Yasha rushed off in the direction that Miroku had indicated without another word.

"This I've got to see," Sango muttered, picking up Shippou and heading off after the hanyou.  Miroku followed, not really having anything better to do.  Besides, it looked like he was going to have to be the voice of reason when Inu-Yasha discovered Kikyo.

Sure enough, the walking corpse was still trapped in the strange bubble that Kagome had created around her.  Unfortunately – Miroku thought – she was still alive, or as alive as she ever got, and spitting mad.  Inu-Yasha was clawing at the magical barrier to no avail; it just kept reforming where he scratched at it.  Sango and Shippou were off to the side trying to hide their giggles at the sight.  All Miroku could think was that it was a good thing that Inu-Yasha couldn't see them.

"Perhaps," Miroku ventured when he saw that Inu-Yasha was slowly becoming furious, "we should ask Kaede-sama for her help with this matter."  Inu-Yasha growled, but he seemed to agree, if his stalking off in the direction of the village was any clue.  Within a few moments, he was dragging the old woman back by the arm.  Miroku intercepted for Kaede's sake.

"Kikyo seems to have landed herself in the middle of one of Kagome's spells, Kaede-sama.  Do you think you can release her?" the monk asked.

The old woman surveyed the situation, her one eye widening at the sight of her long-dead sister trapped in a bright red bubble.  "Kagome did this?" she said.  Miroku nodded in confirmation and the old woman whistled.  "I must say I am impressed.  A spell of this caliber takes a great deal of power and control."

"She must have learned to use her magic while she was gone," Miroku observed.

Inu-Yasha snorted, "She's under Sesshoumaru's spell, that's all.  He did this, through her."

Kaede pointedly didn't say anything to that.  "I'll have to do some research to find a counter spell to this," the old woman said as she turned back to the village, "I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with it."  With that, she walked away, Sango, Shippou, and Miroku following.  After a moment, Inu-Yasha ran to catch up, leaving Kikyo alone once more, trapped in Kagome's spell.

***

Kagome bribed Sesshoumaru into taking her upstairs by promising not to call him Fluffy ever again.  She managed to draw a bath on her own, sending the demon lord back downstairs to wait for her.  With a sigh, he obeyed, not really having anything better to do.

Once downstairs, he ran into Kagome's mother, who had just returned home from work.  Almost instinctively, his tail tightened around his frame.  Thankfully, for them both, she merely smiled at him and chirped a greeting, heading towards the kitchen.  For a moment, all that could be heard was the woman bustling about in the kitchen.  Then, without warning, she stuck her head into the living room.  "Sesshoumaru-san?  Would you like some tea or something?"  He thought for a moment and nodded, figuring that a quiet cup of tea would be nice.

Quiet.  Hah.

"So Sesshoumaru-san," Kagome's mother began as she sat down next to him at the kitchen table where he had settled, pushing a cup of tea toward him, "How is your collection of the shikon shards going?"

He grunted noncommittally in reply, sipping his tea.  The woman's tone bothered him; it reminded him of the rare times when his mother found out about his tricks as a child: dangerously impassive.

"I see."  Kagome's mother took a drink.  The demon lord waited; it was only a matter of time after all.  "Might I ask you a personal question, Sesshoumaru-san?"

He turned his golden gaze at her, watching the woman.  Surprisingly, she didn't even blink, but merely leveled her own gaze at him.  Apparently, this was where Kagome got her stubborn streak.  "Very well," he said finally, turning back to his tea.

Even so, he wasn't prepared for the woman's question.  "How exactly do you feel about my daughter?"

He touched the hilt of the newly acquired Tetsusaiga and replied without hesitation.  "She is a means to an end, nothing more."  Funny, but the more he said that, the easier it became to believe.  When Kagome's mother bristled, he added, "She is aware of this."

The woman sighed.  "It's just that Kagome has been through the wringer with Inu-Yasha for so long."  Her finger traced patterns on the tabletop.  "And every time she goes out there, I worry … I worry that she won't come back.  I don't want to tell her though; Kagome has made it clear that she needs to do this, and I don't want to make her feel bad about it."

The demon lord surprised himself by resting his clawed hand on the woman's shoulder gently.  When she turned her eyes that were so like Kagome's on him, he faltered for a moment.  "I will protect her; I have sworn it."

***

Kagome bounced down the ramp of the boat, feeling a lot better after a four day trip to a small southern island called To-Shima, where rumors of a shard had led them.  It was tiny.  She knew that from looking it at the map, but reality was a lot different than a picture.  Turning, she saw Sesshoumaru exit the boat with a look of veiled relief on his face.  Unlike her, he hadn't enjoyed the trip at all.  In fact, Kagome seriously suspected that he was prone to seasickness.  He did look a little green after all.

Fighting to hide a smirk – it wouldn't do for the demon lord to ask what was so funny after all – Kagome turned back toward the island.  She felt Sesshoumaru come up behind her and lay a hand on her shoulder.  She looked up at him, catching a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye as she did.  Shooting him a curious look, she turned back.  It was a fortress, hidden by an illusion spell just like the one that had surrounded Meducnoh.

"Lord Omura's castle," Sesshoumaru explained.  From the tension in his voice, Kagome had to rethink her previous conclusion that the demon lord had been grumpy because of seasickness.  Not even when they had been in the demon city had he been this way.  He seemed almost … anxious, and a thrill of fear coursed through her as she wondered what could scare the demon lord.

Testing her theory, she turned back to him and asked mildly, "We're headed there?"

He looked away, "If what we are seeking for is there."  Yup, that was definitely tension in his voice, more than tension.

"I'm afraid that it is," Kagome said sincerely.  If Sesshoumaru was bothered about this place, then she was scared shitless.

"Kagome," he said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest, never taking his eyes from the castle, as if it would attack him at any moment.  She watched him quietly, knowing that he would continue.  "You should know that Lord Omura and I do not get along.  I…" he paused, collecting his thoughts, or perhaps deciding what he could and could not say.  "I believe that he is partially responsible for the death of my father."

Kagome bit her lip.  Sesshoumaru rarely spoke of his father.  It was odd, but the only other time that she could remember, the demon lord had given the impression that he and his father hadn't got along.  But now, it seemed as if he was still furious that he hadn't been able to avenge his otousan's death.

When he didn't say anything else for a while, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.  He turned his golden glare towards her, and Kagome had to fight with herself not to shrink back from the heat in his gaze.  But within a few seconds, the look softened, and he turned towards her fully, gently nudging her hand away.

"In any case," he continued, "I need you to put an illusion spell on me so that we aren't noticed."

Kagome fidgeted.  The way that he was looking at her was **very** distracting, making it hard to formulate a reply.  It said her nerves on edge, as if she expected him to jump her at any moment.  And the worst part was she wasn't entirely sure that he wasn't going to.  Her stomach fluttered faster than her heart, almost like … almost like it had the rare times when Inu-Yasha had looked at her without a glare.  Only, this was stronger, much stronger, a roaring furnace to Inu-Yasha's tiny flame.

_Oh shit, don't tell me that I'm falling for Mr. Personality._  Figures, the one person that she had figured she **wouldn't** fall for, she did.  She didn't want to fall for him and go through the same thing that she did with Inu-Yasha, probably something worse.  No doubt it wouldn't take long for Sesshoumaru to figure out her feelings if she wasn't extra careful, and she wasn't going to put it past him to take advantage of that knowledge if he saw fit.

"Umm, I can't, I don't know how to do illusions," she finally managed to stutter, absently twirling her glaive in her hands.  When he quirked a silken eyebrow in disbelief, she continued, "Well, I know the theory, but I haven't tested it yet.  I really don't think that you want to be my guinea pig."

"I believe that you can do it," he replied, never taking his yellow eyes from hers.  Unable to hold his gaze, Kagome let her head drop as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.  Was he complementing her?  He seemed to be, but all she could think of was that argument that they had had a couple months ago.  Since when had he gained confidence in her magical abilities?

"Kagome," the demon lord said urgently, breaking the girl out of her thoughts.  "Are you going to disguise me or not?  It needs to be now."

The girl nodded, making up her mind.  "Not here though."  Sesshoumaru looked around the busy dock and nodded his agreement.  Without another word, he walked off in search of a subtler place for them to do what was necessary.  Kagome followed, still mulling over her recent gains in knowledge.

***

Sesshoumaru looked himself over in a small pond.  Inu-Yasha's human form was obviously the inspiration for the disguise that Kagome had conjured up, his hair was pitch black and his eyes had taken on a definite violet tinge.  He ran a hand over a smooth cheek, not that the whole visage wasn't startling, but seeing himself without the demon stripes that marked his face was disturbing.  Rather, all that was left was a small blue star in the middle of his forehead.  His clothes had changed as well, but not too much, just enough so that they weren't recognizable as something the lord of the Western Lands would wear.  The most notable change was that they were now a deep blue, with white flowers instead of the usual red, and the fact that both his clothes and armor looked a little scruffier than usual.

Kagome was standing a few feet away, gripping her glaive like it was a lifeline.  The demon lord frowned, tilting her chin up so that their eyes met, "You aren't that tired are you?"

"No.  I'm just damn glad that I didn't kill you is all!" she screeched, glaring at him.  She hadn't been happy with the entire situation, no matter how much sense it made to her.  Odd, it was almost like she cared what happened to him.  Humans were like that sometimes, he supposed.  The demon lord himself was no mage, but his natural demon abilities were enough to protect himself from something as simple as an illusion spell going wrong, especially if one considered Kagome's already impeccable control.

Sesshoumaru told her as much, and the girl growled, for an instant so much like a demon that he was taken aback.  "Now, now," he teased, "That's no way for a lady to behave."

Kagome blinked, changing her glare to a confused look.  "Lady?  What lady?"

The demon lord chuckled darkly, "We are going to a court you know.  I expect that you'll behave properly while we are there."  He turned and began walking in the direction of the castle.

Kagome watched him for a moment, still unsettled by the change that she had caused in his appearance and his words.  "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered grumpily, before jogging to catch up.

***

They were greeted in much the same manner as at Meducnoh, with one vital exception, Sesshoumaru introduced himself as Somaru, and no fuss was made over their arrival.  They were settled into a small room deep within the castle.  The demon lord grumbled a bit about the state of their accommodations, but he couldn't really complain without drawing attention to them.  As soon as the servant left them alone, with a request to come to dinner, Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome.  "Where is the shard?" 

She bit her lip as she sent her senses out, "Umm, I think it's in a demon, which is making it really hard to track.  We're going to have to wait until dinner, I'm afraid."  The demon growled, giving into the inevitable.  Kagome sighed, and sat down on the small futon, hoping that they would be able to retrieve the shard before they had to spend the night here.  The prospect of sleeping next to Sesshoumaru again disturbed her, mostly because she liked the idea.

Dinner didn't come soon enough, but it eventually came, and a servant came to lead Sesshoumaru and Kagome into the dining hall.  Kagome had changed into a full-length kimono earlier, which made her a little nervous because it inhibited her movement, but the stiletto carefully hidden in her obi quelled most of her fears.  Plus, Sesshoumaru still had his swords, if worst came to worst.

The dining hall was huge, especially if one considered that demons rarely ate, and almost completely full.  But upon seeing that some of them weren't eating – and the rest were clawing at something that Kagome didn't want to identify – the girl figured that 'dinner' was more of a social event here than anything else.

Presiding over the entire room was Lord Omura, if Sesshoumaru's low growl was any clue.

He wasn't anything like she had expected.  He was young for a demon, though he looked a little older than Sesshoumaru, and rather good-looking.  In fact, he was nearly as handsome as Sesshoumaru … nearly.  His forest green hair was tied back in a loose horsetail, falling to his mid back.  He had the typical pointed ears and fangs of humanoid demons, with startling purple eyes and two blue demon marks that ran the opposite of Sesshoumaru's.  On his forehead was a white diamond that was hard to see against his flawless pale skin.  He wore the clothing of a noble, like Sesshoumaru usually did, in black and purple.  Two amber teardrops hung from his ears, catching the light tastefully.

Kagome didn't stake much in appearance though; she had had too many lessons to teach her that.  So if Sesshoumaru said that he was a bad guy, than she wasn't about to question it.

So when he turned his purple eyes on them upon their entrance, Kagome merely narrowed hers, sizing him up.  She was sure almost positive that he was the one that had the shard, and was beginning to suspect that there were two of them.

Only after they were introduced did he speak.  At one point in time, Kagome would have compared the two demon lords, but after traveling with Sesshoumaru for as long as she had, it was obvious that he wasn't nearly as snobby as he could be.  Omura outdid him by a long shot.

"Well, well, Somaru was it?  It is always a pleasure to have visitors from beyond my lonely island.  Please, come sit with me and tell me news of the outside world."  While he spoke, Omura's eyes never left Kagome, and she was fidgeting by the time they made their way over to the head table.  Omura managed to maneuver them so that Kagome ended up stuck between the demon lords, a position that neither she nor her companion was happy about.  But what could they do?

He turned to her, baring his fangs in a grin when she gasped.  Obviously he was used to that reaction, but Kagome hadn't given it for the reason he suspected.  As he moved, she caught the glow of the jewel shards, coming from his earrings.  He had a shard embedded in each!  _Now the hard part,_ Kagome thought, _how to get them out._

She was distracted when the Lord started to speak again.  "Such an unusual companion, Somaru-san," he said elegantly, sliding a clawed finger under her chin and tilting her face towards him.  She fought not to shrink back.  "How much would you like for her?"  It took Kagome a moment to realize that the lord was speaking in a demon tongue.  Not the dog-demon one, but, she suspected, a more general language among demons.

"She's not a slave," her companion bit out behind her.  Turning slightly, she noticed that his hand had come to rest lightly on his sword hilt, ready to use if need be.

"Odd," Omura said flippantly, removing his finger from her chin,  "she's human."

"It makes no difference; she's rei-youkai."

The demon smirked.  "I had no idea you felt that way … Sesshoumaru."  Kagome's eyes widened, and she scanned the room on instinct.  It seemed that no one had heard them, or understood; only the guards were on alert.  But how?  How had he known?  Then she gasped … smell.  She had forgotten to mask her companion's scent!

The girl had time for only one quick guilty glance at Sesshoumaru before she felt the cold press of a blade on her abdomen.  "Think carefully, my lord," Omura sneered, "You can go quietly and without a fuss," the guards stepped forward, ready to do their master's bidding, "or this girl can become a treat for some of my guests."

Inwardly, Kagome made a face.  After all she'd been through, she was going to end up a demon's dinner.  What a crappy way to die.  It wasn't like she expected Sesshoumaru to give himself up for her, especially after she'd just let Omura get her like that.  Kagome shut her eyes, praying that they would at least kill her before they started to eat her.

"I will do what you wish," Sesshoumaru's voice came from behind her.  Kagome's eyes snapped open.  He was crazy!  But then, the promise, how could she have forgotten that he had promised to protect her?  "But let the girl go.  She has no part in this."

"You should have thought of that before you brought her here," Omura said.  And then something was touching her neck and everything went black.

***

Sesshoumaru was pissed.  Considering that being as powerful as he was, he always kept his anger in check, this was quite an accomplishment.  But there was something about the way that Kagome's unconscious form flopped when she was thrown carelessly into a corner that made his blood boil.  The demon lord didn't bother to analyze the feeling; he probably wouldn't have liked what he found anyway.

Choking back a growl, he turned to Omura, who was standing a few paces away in the dungeon that they had been brought to.  He could just feel the demon's neck under his hands, and if he weren't shackled to the wall with magicked chains, than Omura would have never stood a chance.  His armor and swords had been taken from him before he had been brought here.  The illusion spell was gone as well, broken when Kagome had been knocked unconscious.

Omura held the sheathed Tetsusaiga, disinterestedly examining the tattered hilt.  Fortunately, he didn't have the Toujikin in his hands, a sword that he actually could wield; Sesshoumaru didn't want to think of what would happen if he found that sword's true power.  He didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, as Omura shoved the Tetsusaiga's hilt under his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.  Golden ones widened as the demon lord realized that the sword was **hissing**.

"Such a disgusting sword, Sesshoumaru," Omura tsked, "I would have expected you of all people would take better care of your equipment."

"Until recently, it belonged to my half-brother," Sesshoumaru replied.  If Omura couldn't sense the sword's innate power, then he certainly wasn't going to mention it.

Purple eyes glinted dangerously as Omura backed away a few paces and unsheathed the sword.  "Well, let's see if it at least cuts."  He raised the blade and swung.  Sesshoumaru braced himself; Tetsusaiga wouldn't transform for Omura, but this was still going to hurt.

"No!"  With a brilliant blue flash, Tetsusaiga – and Omura – were thrown across the room.  Sesshoumaru blinked, looking over at Kagome, who had woken up.  Was that her power, or simply the Tetsusaiga reacting to her cry?

Then he smirked as Kagome's unbound hands rose to clutch her head.  The fool hadn't even bothered to tie her up, probably thinking that she couldn't do any harm.  Uncrossing her eyes, the girl looked up at him, frowning when she saw the chains.  The frown deepened when her attempts to free him proved fruitless.  A pounding on the door alerted him to the guard's plans to enter the room.

"Kagome, come here," he said urgently.  She had just barely crawled over to him when the door burst inward, revealing the two guards that had brought them there.  Omura was just recovering from the blast.  Kagome scowled, and the shackles that held Sesshoumaru shattered.

"He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day," Kagome muttered to him.  Sesshoumaru wasn't happy about it, but he found that he had to agree with her.  The chains had drained a lot of his strength, and Kagome wasn't much better off.  At this point in time, it would be better to retreat and regain their advantage.  The only problem was that they were surrounded.

"We could use a door," Sesshoumaru whispered.  The wall behind Omura blasted inwards, covering the demon in rubble and giving them an escape route.  Sesshoumaru grabbed his companion, who by now was completely exhausted, and took off to find a place to rest.

***

Seeing that Sesshoumaru was having no trouble navigating the fortress and carrying her, Kagome allowed herself to relax in his arms.  Her head was still pounding, and she was **tired**.  A few moments of sleep wouldn't be so bad…

Just as she was dozing off, Sesshoumaru stopped and set her down.  "We should be ok here for a little while," he said, looking around.  They had since exited the castle proper and found a small alley in between the stables and the smithy.  It butted up against the outer wall of the fortress, so they had an escape route if necessary.  In the background, Kagome could hear the shouts of the guards waiting for them.

"How long is a little while?" she asked, struggling to her feet, and looking around nervously.  She didn't need anyone to tell her that they were in a bad situation.  Sesshoumaru didn't have his swords, all she had was a dagger and her magical supply was nearly gone.  If – no when – Omura's men found them, they would be virtually defenseless.

Well, if they couldn't use their strength, then there had to be another way to get out of this, preferably with the shards but at the moment she wasn't going to be that picky.  "They're coming," Sesshoumaru warned suddenly.

Kagome made up her mind.  Grabbing Sesshoumaru, she smoothed her hand over his hair, pouring out the last bit of her magic.  As a result, the silver locks turned a bright red.  "That's very inconspicuous," the demon lord muttered as he realized what she'd done.

"Shut up," Kagome grumbled back, "It's the best I can do right now."  The guards were getting closer.  Wiping her hands on her kimono, she slipped her arms around his neck.  "Just play along … and don't kill me ok?"  Before he had a chance to say anything, she kissed him.  The guards that were looking for them passed by without a second glance.

Kagome didn't notice.  The demon lord's lips were taking up all of her attention.  Perhaps she should have thought of that before but it was definitely too late now.  Worried about the repercussions, the girl pulled away.  Sesshoumaru, however, was having none of it.  He pulled her back violently with a growl, pressing their lips together.  Kagome jumped when he slipped his tongue into her mouth.  For a moment, she wondered what he was up to, but then relaxed into his kiss.  She deserved a little happiness after all she'd been through, didn't she?

After a moment, he pulled away but refused to release her from the circle of his arms.  "I think they're gone," he practically purred, taking Kagome's breath away.

"Ok," she finally managed to choke out.  "Umm, so what are we going to do now?"  For some reason, she found it very hard to look him in the face without blushing.

The demon lord seemed to shake himself and let go of her abruptly.  "We are going to get the shards of course.  After you rest."

Kagome found that she had to agree with that and sat down, resting against the wall of the smithy.  Her hand went to her lips as she imprinted the kiss on her memory, figuring that it would never happen again.  With a small contented smile, she finally allowed herself to sleep.

***

Sesshoumaru watched the sleeping girl with a small frown.  Blast her and her tempting plots.  Her tempting lips.  Of all the things she had to think of, and it probably didn't mean anything to her either.

He hadn't meant to lose control, but the second her lips touched his, her scent surrounded him, driving all thoughts out of his mind.  It was all he could do to keep from going any farther than he had.

But why?  He usually had more control than that.  Kagome, as beautiful as she was, was only a human after all, and he had never lusted after a human before.  True, she was an unusual human, clever, more powerful than most, and she actually bathed.  But that in itself wasn't enough.  He didn't think that she was witching him, in fact, he was sure that Kagome would never do such a thing.  After traveling with her for so long, he was sure of that.

Come to think of it, it was funny the things that he had noticed about her.  The way she got grumpy when she hadn't had a bath in a while, her odd modesty, the fact that she was in no uncertain terms not a morning person, and the way that she chewed her lower lip when she was thinking.  He could name a thousand more, and that's what was really bothering him.

After traveling with her for all this time, she had become a part of his life, just as Rin had.  And he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to let her go.

_Shit._  Sesshoumaru stalked over to the corner of the stable to keep watch, Kagome still sleeping behind him.  He had the sword, and that was all he needed from her.  As soon as they finished gathering the shards, Kagome would go back home, and that would be that.

As soon as the demon lord had made that decision, a slight scuffing sound caught his attention.  He cursed himself silently for not paying better attention just as two of Omura's men leapt out in front of him.  He backed up toward where Kagome was sleeping, all the while letting poison seep onto his claws.  If he could grab the girl, then they would be able to get away.  Shooting a blast of poison at the guards, he used the distraction to turn…

Kagome was gone.

Next time: Well, you'll just have to wait and see…

Sesshy: That was just plain evil…

Shippou: Seriously…

LL: I know, I know! But it was just the perfect place to end it! *hides from the rabid readers who are really pissed by now* I promise to try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible!

I'm not going to do review responses this time around because for one thing, they take me forever, and I didn't want to delay this chapter any more than necessary. Still, I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! *glomps reviewers*


	9. Reconciliation

LL: *tossing Sesshy a bucket of dog treats* Here you go, Fluffy-kun.  You know, I'm really proud of this chapter, but I think I injected Miaka from Fushigi Yuugi into Kagome.  Oh well, it works.

Sesshy: No it doesn't. No one should be allowed to do that to me, and … are those the bacon-flavored kind!?

LL: It's even longer than usual too!  I got started and then I just couldn't stop.

B0b: You're welcome.

LL: Not that you did anything!

J0rge: He did too, after all, dad's the source of all your romantic inspiration remember?

LL: Oh yeah. *snicker*

B0b: Did you have to say that so loud?

Sesshy: *obliviously munching on dog treats in the corner*

Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha doesn't belong to me … I'm just 'borrowing' them for a while.

Chapter 9: Reconciliation (or Kagome Unlaced)

Lord Omura watched Sesshoumaru's human wench struggle violently against her chains.  For an extra precaution, they had been spelled against magic, draining all of the girl's abilities temporarily.  The demon wasn't about to make the mistake of underestimating this girl again, not after she had knocked a wall down on top of him.

He had heard that Sesshoumaru had taken to traveling with a human girl, but for some reason, he had gotten the impression that she was a lot younger than this one.  Not that it really mattered, but if the rumors were true then the western lord would be along soon to collect her.

He turned to her, cutting through her ranting with a sharp, "What's your name girl?"

She blinked, obviously not expecting the question.  "Why the hell do you care?  You're just going to kill me eventually."

No points for figuring that out.  Well, at least the girl wasn't a complete idiot.  "You still have some use to me yet, girl.  And since I prefer not to address you as such, you will give me your name."

The chains rattled as she idly twisted her wrists and grinned.  "You don't honestly think that Sesshy is going to come after me do you?"  Her eyes widened suddenly and she cursed, muttering something about 'that damn oath'.  Omura watched, fascinated, as she shifted back to her previously happy self suddenly.  Despite the fact that her wrists were shackled above her head, forcing her to stand, and her captor was standing in front of her with a sword at his side, she was grinning like an idiot.  He would have been tempted to take her as one if not for two things: one, she had already proven herself to be smart; and two, Sesshoumaru wouldn't put up with her if she was a genuine idiot.

"So he will come for you," Omura confirmed, allowing a small smile to seep through his serious façade.

"Not for me," the girl grinned, "but I do believe that he'd like his swords back."  She shifted again so that she was leaning against the wall behind her.  "If you don't mind me asking, why is it so important that you get your claws on him anyway?"

Omura watched the girl warily; she was smart all right, using her innocent looks to try to pry information out of him when she was the one who should be answering the questions.  "He invaded my castle.  That is reason enough," the demon replied, playing along with her for now.  "Perhaps you could tell me what he is doing here?  I might be inclined to let him go if you do."

She looked up briefly in thought.  "Oh I know, and if you let me out of these things I'll be able to think better … do I look like an idiot to you?"

Omura glared at the girl.  Obviously Sesshoumaru didn't keep a tight enough rein on his pet.  No one mocked him, no one, no matter how useful they were.  Before she could register what was happening, he backhanded her across the face.  For a moment, she just hung there, head down.  "I will not tolerate your insolence, girl.  You would do well to remember that I am not Sesshoumaru."

Her head rose, and she grinned widely despite the spreading bruise on her cheek.  "I'll say; Sesshy hits a **lot** harder than that."

Omura raised his hand again, but the girl was ready this time.  Her unchained foot caught him in the stomach before he could hit her, knocking him back a bit.  When he looked up again, she was no longer smiling.  Her glare hit him full force as she hissed, "Now tell me this, what's your problem with Sesshoumaru anyway?  Or do you just want to kill him like you did his father?"

The demon straightened and brushed himself off to allow some time to think.  Once again, it seemed, he had underestimated this girl.  It was now quite clear to him that she was much more than a mere companion to Sesshoumaru.  A friend perhaps, or possibly a lover.  Yes, he could see why the western lord kept her around.  "I had nothing to do with that," he said in a clipped tone.  "Nor would I have even considered it.  Inutaisho was an esteemed ally."

The girl frowned, attempting to piece together the puzzle.  "But if Sesshoumaru's father was an ally, then Sesshy must have been as well.  So what happened between you two?"  She turned her gaze to him, and for the first time the demon noticed that they were an unusual blue-gray.

He watched her carefully for a moment, wondering why Sesshoumaru hadn't told her.  "You really want to know?"  She nodded.  "Then tell me your name."

***

"That's it!?" Kagome screeched in disbelief ten minutes later.

Omura frowned at her.  "He insulted my home.  That's a bit more serious than putting a frog in my bed or something."

"Omura-san," Kagome said with a sigh, rattling her chains, "You were best friends, so you know how he is.  I'm sure he only insulted you because you ruffled his fur … so to speak."

"Are you saying that it's my fault?" Omura asked.

Kagome grinned, "I'm saying that you've held a grudge against each other for what?  Over a hundred years?"  Omura nodded.  "For a hundred years because Sesshoumaru has the social skills of a … actually, I don't think he has any social skills."  The demon smirked and Kagome sighed, "You can't talk, Omura-san, you're just as bad."  The girl rattled her chains.  "Now, let me down from here."

Omura watched her warily, "What are you planning Kagome?"

"I'm going to fix this.  It's stupid, you two are allies and you hate each other."  Kagome nearly breathed a sigh of relief when the demon pulled out a small key and begin to unlock her.

"No tricks," he warned.  She nodded vigorously.  At that point, she would have said just about anything to get down; she could barely feel her arms by now.  When she was released, she didn't even bother to return circulation to them, but set off to find Sesshoumaru, trusting Omura to follow her.  Perhaps it was arrogant of her, but she felt that there was nothing to worry about from the demon.  She was stronger than he, but more importantly, she believed that he would let her piece together his and Sesshoumaru's broken friendship.

When he caught her wrist and demanded to know where she was headed, Kagome began to rethink her assumptions.  Before she could formulate an answer however, Sesshoumaru – with his wonderful timing – burst through the door.

Kagome didn't even stop to think when the western lord attacked Omura.  She slapped a holding spell on him before he could blink, and then, for good measure, stuck one on Omura and barred the door.  Hands on hips, she turned to the two demon lords who were alternating between glaring at her and each other.  "Now," she scolded, "we are not leaving this room until you two work out your problems."

***

As it turned out, Kaede didn't need to find a counter spell to Kagome's.  After three days of holding Kikyo, it disappeared without any warning, unceremoniously dropping the dead priestess onto Inu-Yasha, who happened to be standing under her trying to get her out.  For several days after that, Kikyo did nothing but consume souls, making up for the days she hadn't been able to 'eat'.  Kaede could only guess that the spell that Kagome had wrapped her sister's body in had preserved her so that she didn't wither from lack of souls.  That thought left Kaede wondering if Kagome had meant to keep Kikyo alive, or, more likely, if she had meant to kill her.

Tossing the thoughts from her mind, the old woman turned her attention to Shippou, who had insisted on helping her out while she prepared medicines for the common winter ailments.  In private, the kitsune had told her the entire story of Kagome's deception and choice to leave with Sesshoumaru.  Furthermore, he made it perfectly clear the parts that he had left out when relating the story to the others, such as the fact that they had gone down the well and Sesshoumaru's protective attitude towards Kagome.

When the old woman asked Shippou why he hadn't told the others, he simply said that they wouldn't understand.  Then he made her promise not to tell either.  She had agreed, struck by the child's insightfulness.  Sango and Miroku, simply being who they were, probably wouldn't understand why Kagome chose to stay with someone they perceived as an enemy.  Inu-Yasha would deny it.  Kaede herself wasn't sure if she understood Kagome's reasons herself, but it wasn't her place to tell the girl what to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Inu-Yasha burst through the door, in a heated argument with Miroku of all people.  Sango and Kikyo followed, studiously ignoring each other.  After listening for a few moment, Kaede determined that they were trying to decide where to go next.  Inu-Yasha wanted to follow Sesshoumaru and Kagome and exact his revenge on his brother.  Miroku felt it best that they leave them alone for a while.  Sango and Kikyo were silent.

Kaede thought it best that she intervene before things got violent.  The weird thing was, she feared that Miroku would be the one to start the fight.  For some reason, he seemed to have taken Kagome's well being as a personal responsibility, and Kaede suspected that it had nothing to do with the fact that Kagome was an attractive young woman.

"Now, now, what's this all about?" the old woman asked, stepping in between the hanyou and the monk.

Inu-Yasha pointed at Miroku.  "He wants to leave Kagome with my brother!  He's going to kill her."

"You heard Shippou," Miroku replied, having regained some of his composure, "Kagome would hardly go with him willingly if she was in danger.  Besides, she's been with him for over six months now; don't you think that Sesshoumaru would have killed her by now if he was going to?"

"He has what he wants now," Inu-Yasha growled, his hand tightening on Tenseiga's hilt, "So he doesn't need her anymore."

"You forget," Miroku retorted before Kaede could interrupt, "She went with him of her own free will."

"How many times do I have to say it?  She's under Sesshoumaru's spell!"  The hanyou growled again, pacing as best he could in the confines of Kaede's home.  "Hell, he probably stole her in the first place and witched her then!"

"She **left**!" the monk yelled, losing what little composure remained.  "She left because of you and that bitch there!"  No one had to ask whom he was talking about.

Silence.  Kaede wasn't the only one who was struck dumb by Miroku; it seemed that even Inu-Yasha couldn't think of anything to say.  It didn't matter however, for after a few moments, the monk took a deep breath and continued in a much calmer tone.

"All we can do for Kagome now," he said, "is to continue to gather the shards."

***

It took quite a bit of bullying – and a few death threats – to get the two demons talking.  Once they did, it was nearly impossible to get them to make a shot at apologizing.  After about an hour, Kagome was ready to strangle something, and the demons in front of her were looking very good at the moment.

With a sigh, she flopped down onto the floor.  "I'm going to take a nap, wake me up when you two are ready to talk."  Yawning, she curled up into a ball and, to all appearances, went to sleep.

Sesshoumaru and Omura eyed one another, then the girl in front of them.  "She's not going to let this go, you know," the western lord warned.

Omura nodded with a sigh.  "That's one hell of a wench you've got there."

"Yes," Sesshoumaru said softly.

"Wow," Kagome said without looking up, "Did you two actually agree on something?"  She sat up suddenly, rubbing her eyes and yawning.  "Does this mean that you aren't going to kill each other now?"  The two demons glanced at each other and shrugged simultaneously.  Kagome frowned at them, hands on hips, "Yes or no.  And hurry up, I'm hungry."

Neither demon spoke.  Neither was willing to be the first to give in.  Kagome sighed; they were right back where they had started.  She had a feeling that they both wanted to apologize but didn't want to seem weak by doing so.  "You know, five-year-olds have better communication skills than you two!" the girl grumbled.  "Would it be too much to ask for you to just kiss and make up already?"

"I'm not kissing **that**!" both demons growled at once.

Kagome whimpered in despair.  "Oh brother, it's a figure of speech, ok?"  Making a quick decision, she sprung up suddenly, her blue eyes flashing dangerously.  "All right.  I'm hungry and I'm tired, so we're getting this over with."

"What are **you** complaining about wench?  We're the ones who've been stuck in your spell all this time," Sesshoumaru growled.

"You'd be out of there if you'd just apologize!" Kagome growled back.  Omura watched the whole scene with interest until Kagome rounded on him.  "You!  Say you're sorry!"  Then she turned back to Sesshoumaru.  "You too!"  When they hesitated, she screeched, "NOW!"

Both demons muttered something that could have passed for either an apology or a request for room service.  But Kagome grinned widely anyway, knowing that that was the best she was going to get from the stubborn demons.  "That wasn't so bad was it?  Let's go eat."  Without warning, she let go of the holding spells and the demons dropped unceremoniously to the ground.  Kagome walked over to unbar the door.

Just outside were a few of Omura's guards who automatically assumed that Kagome was escaping.  So naturally, when they reached for her, she shrieked.  Sesshoumaru had her out of harm's way before she could blink, and Omura was there to reprimand his men for attempting to harm his 'esteemed guest'.  Kagome allowed herself a small smile as she unconsciously snuggled into Sesshoumaru's embrace; those two certainly worked well together.

***

"Are you **sure** she's human?" Omura asked as they watched Kagome bounce down the hall in the direction of the kitchens.

"Not completely," the western lord grumbled, wondering how it was possible for Kagome to have so much energy after everything that had happened.  It had been a long night, but, all in all, he wasn't displeased with the way things turned out.

"Well, human or not, you still managed to land yourself one hell of a woman," Omura informed him, clapping him on the back congenially.

"She's not mine," Sesshoumaru corrected in a clipped tone.  Not that he really believed it.

Omura raised an eyebrow, "Oh?  So you won't mind if I take her then?"  Instinct took over and Sesshoumaru growled at the thought of anyone touching **his** property.  Omura smothered a laugh and held his hands up in front of him to ward the advancing demon off.  Sesshoumaru blinked suddenly as he realized what he was doing and returned to his normal self.  He found it odd how easily they both slipped back into their role of best friends.

"Hey!" Kagome called from the table where she was eating, "I'm not going to have to lock you two back into that dungeon am I?"  Both demons shook their heads, and she went back to eating.  Sesshoumaru, seeing Omura's devious look, shot his fellow demon a warning glare.  Omura ignored it.

"Well, Lady Kagome," he said, sidling up beside her as soon as she'd finished eating, "I'm off to bed; it's been a tiring experience."  He grasped her hand and kissed it softly, his purple eyes twinkling.  Kagome blushed; Sesshoumaru growled softly.  "Good night, m'Lady, Sesshoumaru."  With that he left, but not before throwing a grin and a wink in Sesshoumaru's direction.  The demon lord chose to ignore his friend's odd behavior, instead focusing his attention on the girl.

A few moments later, a female servant came to lead them to their room.  For once, Sesshoumaru was **glad** that they had to share, so that he could be certain that Omura kept his hands off Kagome.

***

"Ooh, I'm tired," Kagome yawned as she stretched, looking around their new room.  On Omura's orders, they had been moved from the closet that they had been originally placed in to a more high-class room.  This one was simple, yet elegant.  On one wall, a circular window looked out onto a small garden.  A futon rested in the corner and her glaive was propped up against the wall.  Sliding open the door of a small closet, she found, among other things, two yukatas, one her size, and one that would fit Sesshoumaru.

She turned with the yukatas in her hands, holding Sesshoumaru's out for him.  He was staring at her.  Ok, that wasn't that unusual; but most of the time, he was either glaring at her, or watching her like he expected her to run off at any second.  However, this time, he seemed to be trying to see inside her soul.  Something strange fluttered in her belly and heat spread between her legs.  She gulped, shoving the yukata at the demon.

He stepped forward and took it, brushing his fingers against hers.  His other hand cupped her chin before she could move away and his golden eyes searched hers.  "Kagome," he began softly, "Are you all right?"  She nodded dumbly, unable to speak.  Sesshoumaru's thumb slid along her jaw.  "Omura didn't … treat you improperly when I wasn't there did he?"

Kagome forced herself to step back before things got even weirder.  "He slapped me around a bit when I ticked him off, but that was to be expected, I suppose."  Sesshoumaru kept pressing forward, pushing Kagome back towards the bed without her realizing it.  She finally figured out where she was headed when her heel caught the edge of the futon and she fell backwards with a dull thump.  Before she could move, Sesshoumaru had knelt down and caged her with his arms.  His head bent down to nuzzle her ear and smell her hair.  Kagome froze, "Umm, Fluffy?  Are you … are you ok?"

His head rose just enough for their eyes to meet.  Bending down again, he licked her ear and whispered, "I want you."

***

Sesshoumaru felt more than saw Kagome's mouth form a little 'o' of understanding.  At that point, he didn't really care if she understood.  All that was going through his mind was to take his woman before someone else claimed what he wanted.  What little logic he had left was telling him that a beautiful woman like Kagome wouldn't stay unclaimed for long.

Kagome was still frozen, however.  And no matter how deeply he was running on instinct, the demon wouldn't rape her.  That didn't mean he was giving up though.  With a low growl, Sesshoumaru nuzzled her neck, licking the spot where her pulse beat furiously.

Kagome moaned and slipped her hand around his head, tangling her fingers in his hair.  The demon lord looked up, a clear question in his golden eyes: are you sure?  The woman chewed her lower lip for a moment and then nodded, no uncertainty in her eyes.

With a wicked grin, Sesshoumaru pushed Kagome down, covering her mouth with his.

***

She woke up with a shiver, for a moment wondering why she was so cold.  Or more importantly, why parts of her were warm.  It didn't take her long to figure out that she was lying on the futon nude, with Sesshoumaru's arms wrapped around her.  After that realization, it wasn't hard to remember the events of a few hours ago.

Sesshoumaru on top of her, his silver hair falling around them, creating a curtain that sealed them in their own world.  His golden eyes locked on her own, never leaving her face throughout their coupling…

"Gods," she whispered, a sick feeling settling into her stomach.  _I slept with Sesshoumaru.  Oh gods, I'm going to get hurt over this one._

Tears began to form in her eyes, and her recent lover stirred.  She froze, for a moment afraid that he had woken up and most certainly **not** ready to face him.  But the demon merely tightened his arms and nuzzled her hair.  Kagome released the breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding and wiggled around until she could grab the blanket and pull it over the both of them.  As she did, she caught sight of the sleeping Sesshoumaru and her breath caught in her throat.  He was beautiful.  Of its own accord, her hand reached out and traced the stripe on his cheek.

_It'll be ok,_ Kagome told herself as she snuggled back into the demon's embrace.  _It's not like I have to marry him, and it certainly wasn't like he raped me or anything._

Kagome yawned.  _It was just a little fun.  And tomorrow, everything will go back to normal._

But … why did that thought upset her so much?

***

The late morning sunlight filtering through the window woke Sesshoumaru.  He immediately came to consciousness and turned to the girl – no, woman – who was using him as a pillow.  His fingers slipped across her cheek, down her neck and to the bruise on the juncture between her shoulder and neck where he'd bit her last night.  _Mine…_

The demon lord shook his head.  _What am I doing?_  Last night should have never happened.  Kagome was human, for Kami's sake.  Not only that, but she was Inu-Yasha's former wench, and his former enemy.

Then again … Inu-Yasha had discarded her as rubbish, and somewhere along the way, she had become his friend.  And Kagome was far from a normal human.  If only she wasn't planning on going back to her time after she finished collecting the shards.  If only he hadn't sworn to himself a thousand times over that he would never mate a human.  If only…

Running an absent hand through Kagome's hair he happened to look down at her.  She was watching him with those huge blue eyes of hers.

"Morning," he said quietly, removing his hand from her hair.  He was going to have to say something about last night, explain his actions.  That didn't mean that he was necessarily happy about the prospect.  "Kagome, I…" he began, but she cut him off in the matter-of-fact way that she had sometimes.

"Don't worry about it, Sesshoumaru," she said, sitting up and wrapping the blankets around her.  "I understand."

The demon lord sat up as well, "Do you?"

Kagome refused to look at him.  "Yes.  It was … it was just a fling.  You can't love humans anyway."  Visibly gathering her courage, she turned to look him in the eye, "It's ok, really."  With that, she stood grabbing the yukata that she'd dropped the night before and walked away to change.

So … that was it, was it?

***

Omura watched silently from his chair as Sesshoumaru stalked into the empty dining hall.  Odd, but it seemed that he woke up on the wrong side of the futon.  _Hmm, maybe he didn't get any last night._  Omura grinned at the thought; there was no chance of that.  It wasn't like he had placed his friends next to his room for no reason after all.

"Morning Sesshoumaru," he greeted the demon, "Sleep well last night?"

The western lord twitched, just enough for Omura to notice.  "They told me I'd find you here."  A thoughtful pause, "You set it up didn't you?"

A smile played about Omura's lips.  "I might have.  But think about it this way, my friend, it would have happened eventually anyway.  The process was just … speeded up a bit."

Sesshoumaru growled.  "Bastard."

Omura just laughed.  After a moment – and a dangerous glare from Sesshoumaru – he sobered up.  "You're not at all like your father you know," he continued quietly.  The western lord said nothing, for he had nothing to say.  Omura looked up suddenly, "Oh, Lady Kagome.  Good morning!  Did you sleep well?"

Kagome gave a polite reply and looked down, but not before Omura noticed that she had suddenly turned and interesting shade of red.  He chuckled inwardly and hopped down from his dais, going over to her.  Behind him, he could hear Sesshoumaru's warning growl, and silently hoped that his friend could hear himself.  For if that wasn't proof enough that he wanted this human woman, than nothing was.

Omura grabbed Kagome's hand gently and led her to a seat.  "I heard a very interesting rumor, Lady Kagome, that Sesshoumaru was gathering the shikon shards.  But since I can't imagine why he would want or need them," Omura winked at his friend, "I came to the conclusion that he was gathering them for you."

"He's – he's helping me, yes," Kagome stuttered.

"Of course.  Well in any case," Omura slipped his amber drops out of his ears and pressed them into Kagome's palm, "These are for you."

She turned them over, seeing the telltale glint of the shards within.  "Thank you, Omura-sama."

"We found them embedded in a tree.  You'll have to figure out how to remove them though."  Kagome nodded, pocketing the earrings to mess with on a rainy day.

Standing, she bowed to the demon.  "I appreciate it, Omura-sama. But…" she trailed off and glanced at Sesshoumaru.

"You need to leave.  Well, no sense in long goodbyes.  I wish you the best of luck in your travels and everything else.  Both of you."  The green haired demon smiled.  "You'll come to visit sometime won't you?"

Sesshoumaru nodded silently and Kagome smiled.  "If we can," she chirped.  "Oh!  I have to get my glaive!"  With one last bow, she rushed off.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and began to follow at a more sedate pace.  "Sesshoumaru," Omura called just before he reached the door, "You will invite me to the mating ceremony won't you?"  The western lord didn't bother to dignify that with a reply, causing Omura to grin.  This was just too easy.

***

A little over a week later, Kagome and Sesshoumaru had returned to the main island of Japan and were back to business as usual.  In all outward appearances, not much had changed.  Except, Sesshoumaru had stopped talking to her almost all together.  Not that they had exactly had long conversations before, but he'd barely said two words to her since that night.

Kagome missed the sound of his voice.  She missed arguing; she even missed his teasing.  What she wouldn't have done to have things return to the way that they'd been before … but Kagome was no fool; she knew that it was impossible.

With a small, dejected sigh, the woman plopped down in front of their campfire.  The demon lord in question was missing, off scouting the area or whatever he did when he went off.  He'd been disappearing more often of late when they stopped for the night, only coming back just when Kagome was about to go to sleep.

So naturally, she was shocked when he showed up out of nowhere.  "Shit, Sesshoumaru!" she said, pressing a hand to her beating heart, "You scared the crap out of me!"  Normally, he would have either laughed, or reprimanded her for not paying better attention.

But he ignored her, instead dragging her up by the arm and pinning her up against a nearby tree.  To her everlasting surprise, Kagome's first thought was not for her own safety – which was undoubtedly in jeopardy – but worry for Sesshoumaru.  "Are you ok?" she blurted out before thinking about what she was saying.

Again he ignored her, instead thrusting his face into her chest to smell it.  He made his way downward, and by the time he got to her belly he was growling viciously.  For the first time in a long while, Kagome was truly scared.  Scared of Sesshoumaru, scared **for** Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshy?" she began hesitantly, running trembling fingers over his hair.  "What's wrong?"

The demon lord straightened, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look him in the eyes, and spat, "You're pregnant."

Next time: Kagome and Sesshy reunite with the others in preparation for the showdown with Naraku.  Guess who's not happy about Kagome's 'condition'…

Sesshy: *chokes* That's it?  Where's the rest woman?

LL: Are you actually getting into my story?

Sesshy: Nooo…

LL: *grin* Well, next chap will be out soon, I hope.  I've already started it, but this is my last week of the semester before finals, so I'm kinda swamped. Sorry. *sniffle*

I don't have time to do review responses, but I want you to know that I really appreciate all your comments.  They're what keep me going!  Thanks a bunch!!


	10. Cementing Alliances

*Landlady runs past Sesshy and J0rge yelling incoherently and frantically waving her arms*

Sesshy: Where's B0b?  I haven't seen him in a while.

*Landlady runs past in the other direction, still frantic*

J0rge: He umm, went to pick something up.

LL: Ahh!  We need another bed.

Sesshy: *grumbling* You're telling me…

*B0b appears with a poof, a huge cage next to him, Miroku is inside, flipping through a pile of papers happy as can be*

B0b: You better watch your ass with this one, literally.

Sesshy: What the hell?

LL: Well you know how I trapped you with a trail of dog treats?  I did the same thing with Miroku, only I used nudey pics!

Sesshy and J0rge: *sweatdrop*

LL: *sigh* Isn't he adorable?

Disclaimer: One by one, I'm catching them … but they still don't belong to me.

A/N: Hey peeps!  I got so many reviews that it would take me forever to do responses so I'm going to answer a few of your questions here.  But first, I'd like to thank everyone for all of your support with my finals, and apologize for taking so long.  I was having a really hard time picturing Kagome pregnant. -_-; But here it is, finally!  Hope you enjoy!

Sesshy and the baby: It took him a little while to realize that Kagome was pregnant, since I figure that it would take at least a week for the thing to grow enough to be detectable. And no, he's not too happy about it, especially since he was pretty pissed that he lost control with her in the first place.

Kagome's too young to be a mom: She is only seventeen when she gets pregnant, but back then, girls got married around fifteen or sixteen. I wanted to show the realistic side, especially since they didn't exactly have birth control back then … and get in a little angst as well.

Will Kagome/the baby eventually turn out to be demons: That's a hard question, and really, you're just going to have to wait and see.  I will say this though … Kagome is not a normal human, not that you didn't know that already.

Chapter 10: Cementing Alliances

Kagome was in shock.  Quite honestly, the risk of becoming pregnant hadn't previously occurred to her.  It should have, she realized now, but the fact was she'd been too worried about the obvious effects that their actions had had on their relationship to think about any future consequences.

The woman slid down the tree she'd been pinned to and landed with a soft thump.  Sesshoumaru had retreated to the other side of their small fire, but she hardly even noticed him.  Instead, her attention was fixed of her flat belly.  Finally, she looked up with a dazed expression to see that Sesshoumaru was watching her intently and trying to pretend that he wasn't.  "You're sure?" she had to ask, even though, deep down, she knew the answer.  Her demon companion wasn't one to jump to conclusions.

He growled.  "Of course I'm sure!  I can smell it, and you **are** carrying **my** brat!"

Kagome choked back a sob and doubled over, clenching her fists so tight that her knuckles turned white.  Without warning she felt the demon lord's presence beside her.  "I'm sorry," she whispered without looking up, "I'm so sorry."  She took a ragged breath.  "I can – I can get rid of the baby.  Back home there's a way … and you won't have to have a hanyou child."

The demon lord growled viciously at her words, making Kagome jump.  His clawed hand slid under her chin and forced her face up so that he could look her in the eyes.  "You.  Are.  **Not.**  Killing.  My.  Child.  Do you understand?"  Kagome nodded dumbly, unable to stop the tears forming in her eyes.  Turning away to hide them, she was further surprised when Sesshoumaru stopped her kissed her tears away.  He then wrapped her in his embrace, winding his tail around her and settling her onto his lap to get her as close as possible.  And was he purring?  _I didn't know dogs could purr,_ came the absurd thought as some of the tightness in her chest eased, at the same time trying to figure out what was going on.

"Don't worry about it, Kagome," Sesshoumaru said after she'd calmed down a bit.  "I will take care of you and the brat."

Kagome smiled tiredly despite everything.  "Ok," she said, feeling at that moment that her vocabulary was sadly lacking.  Nevertheless, she felt the warmth of happiness spread through her.  At the same time, her more pessimistic side wondered how long it would last … but it was a very small part of her and Kagome squashed it ruthlessly.

Pushing herself up, Kagome pressed a kiss to the demon's cheek before unwinding herself and standing up.  A sudden desire to be alone and sort things out had struck her, and she dug around in her bag for an excuse.  Her hand closed around her canteen and she grabbed her glaive with the other.  "I'm gonna go get some water, ok?"

"I'll go with you," Sesshoumaru replied immediately.  Kagome nearly yelled at him until she saw the partially concealed look on his face.  He truly wanted to protect her, and she found that she couldn't yell at him for that.

"I'm pregnant, not helpless," she told him with a reassuring grin.  "I'll be fine."  Before he could reply, she walked off.  And if the demon followed her, then he was really going to get it.

***

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome walk off in the direction of the nearby pond, quashing the urge to trail her every move in case something happened.  _This is stupid,_ he thought grumpily, sitting down by the fire to wait.  He knew that Kagome was more than capable of taking herself and it wasn't like he needed to be three feet from her to be able to reach her in time if something did happen.  Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru forced himself to meditate and relax.

As soon as her soft scent and quiet footsteps reached him, however, his eyes snapped open and he found himself looking her over to see if there was any visible damage.  Kagome must have noticed, for she snorted and said, "If you're going to be like this for the next nine months, I might end up Kagome."  The demon frowned.  Kagome had a point; he was acting very unusual.  But given the scent of her pregnancy and the fact that knowledge that the child was his and he couldn't help himself.  Damn instincts.

"Get some sleep," Sesshoumaru ordered, "We're going back to the castle in the morning."

"If you think that you're going to just dump me off and try and gather the rest of the shards by yourself, then you've got another thing coming!" Kagome said angrily.

The demon lord smirked at his fiery companion, "I wouldn't dare.  Now sleep."

Grumbling, Kagome obeyed, pulling out her sleeping bag and curling up in it next to Sesshoumaru.  When he was sure she was asleep, the demon bent over and pressed a kiss to her lips.

***

They arrived at the castle shortly after noon, and for the first time, Kagome entered through the front gates.  When she told Sesshoumaru as much, he made her show him the small servant's entrance that she'd snuck in though last time.  The demon lord immediately had it boarded up, telling Kagome, "You won't need to sneak in through here anymore."

Then, they were tackled by Rin.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!  Kagome-chan!  Rin missed you!"  The child launched herself at the demon, attaching herself to his leg.  Kagome hid a smile behind her hand as she watched the emotions flicker over Sesshoumaru's face, alternating from annoyance to affection.  She didn't have much time to snicker, however, as Rin soon released Sesshoumaru to hug **her**, and it was the demon's turn to grin.

"We missed you too, Rin-chan," Kagome told the girl as she picked her up and settled her on her hip.  Sesshoumaru found himself wondering if the woman would be the same with their child.

Then he shook his head to rid such thoughts from his mind.  Why should he care?  The only reason he wanted the child was because he needed an heir, and this was a lot better than going through the trouble of mating someone like Melira.  Wasn't it?

Grumbling to himself, he caught sight of Kagome as she walked off in the direction of her old room.  "Woman, wait."

Kagome twisted to face him with an annoyed look on her face.  "I thought we'd been over this.  I have a name you know, **Fluffy**."  Rin giggled, but she trailed off when both adults ignored her, engaged in an intense staring match.  Finally, Kagome looked away, "Whatever, what do you want?"

Despite his victory, Sesshoumaru frowned.  Kagome wasn't one to back down so easily, so why did she this time?  Putting the thought aside to ponder later, he answered her, "Your room isn't that way."

Kagome blinked.  "My sense of direction isn't **that** bad."

Sesshoumaru ignored her obvious statement.  "This way," he said, walking off in the opposite direction from the way Kagome had been headed.  After all that had happened, it seemed more reasonable to settle her in the wing of his castle that was reserved for members of the western lord's family.  He just didn't want to have to explain it to the woman; last night had been bad enough.  "Here," the demon said as he slid open the door to her new quarters.

"This is right next to Rin's room!" the child exclaimed as Kagome set her down to look around.  From the expression on the woman's face, she was pleased.  Rin was running around in circles, pointing out all the pretty things.

Sesshoumaru led Kagome through the sitting room and into the bedroom.  Touching a hidden door on the other side of the bed, he explained, "This leads to my room."

Kagome blushed.  "Umm, isn't this … isn't this supposed to be the room for your wife?"

"No one's using it," was all Sesshoumaru would say.  "There's no reason why you can't."  With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Kagome to wonder…

***

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"  The demon lord turned to see Jaken running up to him, and for a moment, his cool façade dropped completely.

"What happened to you!?"  He hadn't known that Jaken was a cross dresser.

The toad demon looked down at himself and twitched once, but otherwise remained unruffled.  "Rin and I were playing," he said, deadpan.  "We like to play."  He grinned widely with a sort of demented smile.

Sesshoumaru begin to doubt the wisdom of leaving Jaken alone with Rin for nearly six months.

***

Kagome slipped into the bath with sigh of relief, feeling a very odd sense of déjà vu.  A grin appeared at the thought; the two weeks that she had spent here before seemed like a dream.  With a sigh, the woman admitted to herself that she could quite happily stay in **this** dream world forever.  Though she couldn't help thinking that she'd get quite wrinkled.

Giggling to herself, she slid lower in the water.  If only she could stay in the castle, but her sense of responsibility told her that she would eventually have to go back home and return to school.  But Kagome didn't want to think about that at the moment, and since she didn't have to, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, concentrating on her bath instead.  It seemed liked forever since she'd had a real bath.

Stretching languorously, the woman caught sight of some movement in her peripheral vision.  She turned fully, to see Sesshoumaru slipping into the bath with her.  Blushing, she turned away in an attempt to cover herself.

"Don't worry about that," the demon said with obvious humor in his voice, "It's not anything I haven't seen already."  Kagome had to admit that he had a point, not that that made her feel any better about being nude in front of him.

For a moment, she sat in the water uncomfortably, letting her thoughts flow as she tried not to stare at the man only a few feet away.  Finally she couldn't take it anymore, and turned to face him fully.

He was watching her.  And the sad part was she was so used to it that it didn't even bother her anymore.  She merely raised her chin and returned his stare, her modesty forgotten in her determination to ask this question.

"Sesshoumaru," she began quietly.  She wanted to look away; she **wanted** to, but the combined forces of her determination and his golden gaze kept her eyes locked on his.  "What- what are we now?" she said forcefully, "Still just companions?  Friends?  Lovers?"  _Mates?_  Spent Kagome finally let her head drop as she waited for the demon to reply, not sure that he was going to, not sure that she wanted him to.

For a while, he said nothing, and Kagome couldn't get up the guts to see the look on his face.  After a few moments of unbearable silence, she was ready to leave, rude or not, unable to take it anymore.  But just before she rose, he spoke, softly but confidently, "What do you want us to be Kagome?"

Her hands clasped together tightly in her lap.  "I don't know," she said honestly, "I was kind of hoping you could help me figure it out."

The demon lord sat back and only then did Kagome realize that he'd been leaning forward intently.  Odd, but he seemed almost disappointed by her answer.  "I told you I would take care of the child, and you, as long as you wish to stay here.  But I am afraid that that is all I can do," Sesshoumaru paused, running his fingers through his damp hair.  "I will eventually have to take a mate and produce an heir."

Kagome winced, though she fought very hard to hide it.  He had practically told her the she and her baby weren't good enough.  But what did she expect?  She was only human after all.  So instead she grinned, "Speaking of which, what are we going to name him anyway?"

Sesshoumaru snorted, "Don't you think it's a bit early to worry about that?"

Kagome grinned wider, "It's never to early to start thinking about baby names."

***

It was raining, and Kagome was **bored**.  She'd snapped at Sesshoumaru earlier while in a nasty mood swing, and he'd disappeared so she couldn't even apologize.  Not in the mood to deal with Rin, she'd sent the girl off to play with Jaken, all the while worrying about the toad demon's mental health, but not enough so that she was willing to baby sit the girl.  Only now she was all alone with nothing to do.

A glint from the table caught her attention as she paced in her room: the shards that they had collected so far.  Carefully, she lowered herself to the floor next to the table with a sigh of relief.  Nearly seven months pregnant, and she had begun to look like a blimp, and was feeling the full effects of it.  Her feet ached if she stood too long, her back ached no matter what she did, and worst of all, she had to pee **all** the time.  In fact, the only place where she felt marginally comfortable was in the weightlessness of the water in the bath.

Brushing back her tears that seemed to come on endlessly now, Kagome turned to the collection of shikon shards, determined to do something useful with her time.  In particular, her eyes were drawn to the two amber earrings that Omura had given her ages ago.  She really hadn't thought much of them until know, but having nothing better to do, Kagome decided to see if she could find a way to get the shards out of the amber without shattering them further.

Several hours later, she was still pondering the problem when the shoji door to her room slid open after a curt knock.  Kagome looked up with a start, seeing the demon lord standing in her doorway, arms crossed over his chest and frowning slightly down at her.

"I know you are angry with me, but that's no reason to skip dinner," he said.

Kagome blinked as she puzzled out what he was talking about.  Oh yeah, she had yelled at him earlier.  "I'm not mad at you Sesshoumaru," she assured him.  "Is it dinner time already?"

"Past.  I was surprised that you weren't there; you eat constantly after all.  I would have thought that you'd be starving by now."  Something unusual flickered in the demon's golden eyes.  Concern?  Surely not.  Why would he be worried about her health?

Her stomach rumbled, and Kagome blushed, "I guess I am.  I didn't realize…"  Struggling to stand, the woman didn't see that Sesshoumaru had appeared beside her until he was gently helping her up.  She blushed redder, but allowed the demon's assistance; embarrassing as it was, she needed it.

Sesshoumaru kept his arm around her waist while the walked toward the dining hall, only releasing her once they had reached it.  Rin and Jaken were waiting for them within, but as Rin seemed to be thoroughly occupied with annoying the toad demon, Kagome allowed herself to retreat into her thoughts while they ate.

They had spent most of the last seven months in Sesshoumaru's castle, with a few short jaunts on shard hunting trips towards the beginning of her pregnancy.  The demon lord had become increasingly protective of her, especially after she began to show.  When a demon had almost jumped her on one of their trips, Sesshoumaru had decided that she needed to be taught hand fighting, but at the same time was worried about hurting her, although he would never admit it.  The whole experience had been rather amusing.  Other than that, it seemed that she had read every book in the library when she wasn't playing with Rin.  They had been back to see her family only once, before she'd started to show.  Kagome winced at the memory; her mother had not been happy to hear the news, although for some odd reason, she hadn't been as furious as Kagome had thought she'd be.  The good part was that Grandpa was out of the hospital, still in a wheelchair, but on the road to recovery.

Once they'd eaten, Sesshoumaru quietly walked Kagome back to her room after ordering Jaken to put Rin to bed.  Kagome let him, not that she'd been able to stop him anyway; trying would have only ended up in a huge argument and getting carried to her bed.  But the truth was, she kind of liked his protective attitude, even though she had to admit deep down that it was probably only on an instinctual level.  Still it was nice to dream about knights in shining armor – yea right – especially with her hormone-induced bouts of whimsy.

Sesshoumaru was eying the jewel shards that lay scattered about her table, Kagome realized suddenly as she broke from her thoughts.  What was even stranger – since the demon lord had never shown any interest in them before – was that he was staring at them as though they were the most loathsome things on earth.  A little nervous, she moved forward until she caught his eye.  "We've got quite a few," she said quietly.  "At least a fourth of the jewel, but I think probably closer to a third.  Inu-Yasha and the others had almost another fourth when I'd left them, plus whatever they've gathered since then, so that's almost half."

"Naraku has some too," the demon added.

Kagome chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.  "Yea, he's got a lot.  Kouga has two shards in his legs," Kagome wasn't overly surprised to hear Sesshoumaru growl at the wolf-demon's name, "and there's a shard in Kohaku's back as well."  She sighed again, "Naraku though … he's going to be trouble."

No sooner than she had said the words, the half-demon in question burst through her wall.  Without thinking, the woman's hand reached out for the shards, but in her state, she was too slow and the hanyou reached the shards just as Kagome's hand closed around Omura's amber earrings.

Sesshoumaru growled, furious that anyone would break into his castle, and lunged.  But Naraku, or more realistically, one of Naraku's clones, leapt away and escaped.  Kagome caught the demon lord's sleeve before he could follow.  "Let him go," she said, showing him the earrings.  "We were going to have to go after him anyway, but," the woman hesitated, knowing that Sesshoumaru was not going to like what she had to say, "we are going to need some help to defeat him."

Sesshoumaru growled, but nodded, "I know."

"It needs to be soon," Kagome continued.  "Especially now that he has our shards."

"I could have stopped him."

"He would have kept coming."

The demon was silent for a while.  "Fine.  But don't think that you are going to fight while carrying my brat."  With that he was gone, slipping through the door between their rooms before Kagome had even realized he'd moved.

***

Sesshoumaru cursed silently to himself as he paced as quietly as possible in his bedroom.  How did he get into these situations?  First Naraku managed to get past his guards – which they would hear about later – steals Kagome's shards and now somehow the pregnant witch had convinced him to take her into a battle.

She was impossible.  The demon lord wasn't about to even try and convince her to stay behind.  Kagome wouldn't stand for it.  So he had no choice but to take her with him to face Naraku, and it would be next to impossible to keep a close watch on her all the time, especially when he needed to be watching that treacherous hanyou.

"Dammit!" Sesshoumaru hissed, before he remembered that Kagome was only in the next room and that paper walls were not exactly soundproof.  In a very uncharacteristic move for the dog-demon, Sesshoumaru sat down and felt sorry for himself.

When had he stopped thinking of Kagome as nothing more that a way to get Tetsusaiga?  It was before he had actually acquired the sword, he was sure.  Thinking back, Sesshoumaru recalled everything that they had been through together, all the shard hunts, all the near misses, that baby.  Sometime during all of this, Kagome had become a part of his life, just as Rin had.  And he almost … loved her.

Snarling, the demon lord shook the thoughts from his mind.  Demons had no concept of love.  They had honor and duty, and **that** was why he was taking care of Kagome, not because he wished she would stay forever.

Sesshoumaru stood suddenly, stalking over to the door between their rooms purposely and sliding it open without a second thought.  Kagome was fast asleep, curled up on her futon.  Kneeling down next to her, the demon watched the mother of his child sleep.

She was beautiful.

"Kagome," he whispered.  His hand slid forward to caress her cheek softly, and slipped down her neck to rest his clawed fingers on her jugular.  It would be so easy, one little slit and she would bleed out in her sleep, without ever knowing.  He could free himself of his unwanted thoughts and feelings and solve her problems.

Except … he knew, all promises, aside, he couldn't – wouldn't be able to – kill her, his Kagome.

***

If Sesshoumaru was grumpier than usual, Kagome didn't notice.  For once, she was too wrapped up in her own worries to think about anyone else.  With a small sigh, she laid her head on the demon lord's shoulder as they flew.  Every second brought them closer to them, to Inu-Yasha and the friends that she had betrayed.

"Is something wrong?" the demon asked.

Kagome looked up.  For once, Sesshoumaru wasn't staring at her, so she took the opportunity to do a little scrutinizing of her own.  He was beautiful, not that she didn't know that, but it wasn't any less true now than it had been over a year ago.  She sighed again.  "I'm fine."

"You're shaking."

Kagome started as she realized that she was, indeed, trembling.  "I- I guess I'm just nervous."

They landed, and Sesshoumaru looked down at her, some unintelligible emotion lingering in his eyes for a moment before it was washed away.  He set her down.  "Don't be.  They will understand."  Kagome didn't argue with him; he was probably right anyway.

"Why are we here anyway?  I don't feel the shards, so they can't be close by," Kagome said confused.

Sesshoumaru stared off into the distance, "They are coming."  Sure enough, within a few moments, Inu-Yasha's group came into view.  Unconsciously, Sesshoumaru stepped partially in front of Kagome, obscuring her condition from view for now.  True, she was wearing loose clothes, but after seven months it was pretty obvious what had happened to her.

Perhaps inevitably, Inu-Yasha attacked as soon as he saw his hated older brother.  He didn't make it; Kagome's liberal use of 'sit' insured that.

"Kagome-sama!" "Kagome-chan!" The others called out happily, bypassing Inu-Yasha who was getting up with a little help from Kikyo.  Unnoticed by the others, Sesshoumaru squeezed Kagome's shoulder reassuringly.

She smiled up at him before turning back to her friends.  Before anyone could get in a word, Inu-Yasha yelled, "Wench!  What happened to you?"

Kagome blushed and looked down at herself, "Well…" But before she could continue, Inu-Yasha attacked Sesshoumaru again.  To his credit, the demon lord merely parried his brother's blows.

"What did you do to her you asshole?" Inu-Yasha snarled, "Answer me!  WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO KAGOME?"  Without warning, Sesshoumaru backhanded his brother viciously, knocking him to the ground.

"Sit!" Kagome screamed, finishing the demon's job for him.  "He didn't do anything to me you idiot!  Now will you just shut up and **listen** to me for a sec?"

The others were dumbstruck.  But not for long, at least in Miroku's case.  "Why Kagome-sama, I'm insulted," the monk said dramatically, holding a hand to his heart, "That you did not allow me the same honor."

***

Pregnant.

Inu-Yasha was having a hard time believing it, but it was all too apparent every time he looked at Kagome.  She was carrying his brother's child.  There was no doubt in his mind; he could smell it.

All this waiting, all this hoping, was for nothing.  Every day he woke with the hope that he would find Kagome again, but when he finally did … she was like this.  And with his brother no less.

So finally, the half-demon began to realize that he was losing Kagome to another, and indeed, he had probably already lost her.

***

"Where are your shards?" Kagome asked while she munched on some rations that the others had, and petting Shippou who had attached himself to her.

Sango sighed, "Naraku."  She didn't need to explain.

Kagome nodded sagely, looking up at Sesshoumaru who was standing beside her.  "Yea, he got ours too.  But," she fingered the amber drops in her ears, "He missed a few."  Smiling brightly, she turned to Sango and Miroku.  "That's why we're here.  We wanted to see if you wanted to help us get the shards back from Naraku."

Inu-Yasha muttered something that sounded nasty under his breath, but everyone ignored him.  He hadn't been in a very good mood since Kagome and Sesshoumaru had shown up anyway.

Sango and Miroku eyed each other; then looked up at Sesshoumaru, finally, they turned back to Kagome.  Miroku grinned at the woman, "Let's go get him.

*Miroku is still drooling over his pics*

LL: *pokes Miroku* Man, this is no fun.  And all the trouble I went through too.  You should have seen the look on the lady's face at the magazine store when I bought a whole bunch of Playboy's.

Sesshy: O_O

J0rge: You didn't…

LL: I told her I bought them for the articles.

Miroku: *finally realizing that there are other people there* Oh! *grabs LL's hand* Will you bear my child?

LL: Fuck no!

B0b: Well, there you have it folks.  It appears that some things are impossible even on Ellycian.


	11. A Tear For Kagome

LL: *waves nervously* Umm, hi?  I know, I know, it's been forever since I've updated. *sigh*  I hate the holidays, and I'm really sorry that it took me so long to update.

Sesshy: You should be.

Miroku: Hey, give the girl a break, she's had a rough few weeks.

LL: *smiles*  Why thank you, Miroku-kun.  You're so sweet and thoughtful, unlike some-ack! *slaps Miroku* You perv!

J0rge: Oh brother, just let the poor people read the story already.

IMPORTANT!! My e-mail is really evil, and I haven't been able to send out update e-mails through it.  So, if you want to get updates from me, send an e-mail to ellycian-suscribe@yahoogroups.com to get updates in the future.  I don't intend to add people myself, so you MUST sign up YOURSELF.

Answers to questions:

Length of Pregnancies: For this story, I'm using a nine month gestation period, and Kagome is seven months pregnant right now.

When will Sesshy finally suck it up and admit that he loves Kagome?:  Soon, very soon, I promise.

Where was Kikyo in Chapter 10?: Cowering and generally trying to remain inconspicuous.  Kagome wasn't bound to be too happy with her after their last meeting, and she really didn't want to piss off Sesshy.

Sesshy was being inconsistent: Ok, to be perfectly honest, I screwed up.  But since I'm too lazy to change it, Sesshy is actually grasping at straws.  He doesn't want to admit that he actually wants Kagome around, so he says whatever sounds good at the moment.  (Which sounds a lot better than "I screwed up")

Hmm, that's about it.  Thanks for all your reviews as always!

Chapter 11: A Tear For Kagome

Tensions flew through the roof over the next few days.  It was almost like the days before Kagome left, if you could ignore the fact that they were now traveling with a soulless priestess and a demon lord and that Kagome was – as she put it – the size of a blimp.  But other than that, everything was just as it used to be, though hardly normal.  Miroku groped Sango, Sango beat Miroku, and Kagome and Inu-Yasha constantly got into fights.  The only unusual part was that Kagome started the fights more often than not, sometimes for no apparent reason at all.

Sesshoumaru watched, amused, as one of these fights progressed.  It was a discreet conversation about him that the entire group could hear.  Naturally, Inu-Yasha insisted on pointing out his faults – again – while Kagome valiantly defended him, vacillating between adjectives such as "honorable" and " complete jerk".  Sesshoumaru sighed.  Hormones.

To his surprise, Miroku echoed him.  Considering that the demon lord could recall at least one instance when the monk had almost died from his interference, Sesshoumaru would have thought that Miroku would have made a point not to agree with him about anything.  The demon exterminator was certainly having no problem expressing her dislike of him.

"Poor Shippou," Miroku sighed dramatically, "To have to be in the middle of that."  Sesshoumaru stole a glance at the young kitsune, who was firmly attached to Kagome's shoulder, right smack in the middle of the argument.  The demon didn't envy Shippou's position – at least not that much – but he felt that if the boy insisted on staying where he was then he deserved it.

Deciding that for the sake of everyone's nerves, not least of all his own, to end the argument, Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to speak.  But before he could get a word out, a familiar, elusive scent caught his attention.

"Naraku," he hissed under his breath.

Inu-Yasha heard him, for he stopped and sniffed the air, growling.  "I'll get him," the hanyou declared with his usual recklessness.

Sesshoumaru scoffed, but it was Kagome that replied.  "Don't be an idiot, Inu-Yasha.  You couldn't beat Naraku when you still had Tetsusaiga, how do you plan on defeating him now?"

"And you think that you can do it?" Inu-Yasha shot back.  "What're you going to do?  Waddle up to Naraku and slap him?"

Sesshoumaru clapped a hand over Kagome's mouth before she could reply, no doubt with a 'sit'.  "Enough, both of you," he snapped, glaring at both Kagome and his brother in turn.  "Naraku is a coward, and won't willingly join the fight.  He will send his children to fight for him.  You two," he turned to Sango and Miroku, "draw away his children.  Inu-Yasha, you will get behind Naraku and keep him from getting away.  I'll attack from the front.  Shippou and Kirara will guard Kagome.  Stay as far away from the battle as possible."  He ignored the dead woman; she wasn't trustworthy.

The demon lord half expected Kagome to argue, but though she glared up at him, she said nothing.  That worried him more than an argument would have.  "I mean it, Kagome," he said quietly in the dog demon language.

"Yea, I know," she replied in the same way.  "I'll be good, I promise."

"Fine," Sesshoumaru said in Japanese, releasing her and turning to the others.  "Let's go."

***

Kagome clutched Shippou to her chest as she watched the rest of the group fan out into their appointed positions.  Surprisingly, no one had argued, save Inu-Yasha, who only grumbled a bit.  Kikyo didn't say anything either (come to think of it, she hadn't said a thing since they had reunited) but she seemed to take it upon herself to follow Inu-Yasha.  But she supposed that everyone had felt that Sesshoumaru's plan was sensible, so hadn't had a reason to argue.  After all, knowing their little group, none of them would let a silly thing like fear of the demon lord get in their way of disagreeing with him.

Before she had more time to process that thought, the unmistakable sounds of a battle started up.  "Come on, we've got to get closer," she said to Shippou.

"Closer?" the kitsune squeaked.  "But Sesshoumaru said…"

"He **said** to stay as far away as **possible**.  And I intend to, but I need to be able to see what's going on to help," Kagome said, setting Shippou down.

"But," the little fox began to protest, but he cut himself off and sighed instead.  "All right, let's go."  Kagome was already several feet ahead and he squeaked in alarm, jogging to catch up.

Behind them, Kirara followed, silently chuckling to herself.

***

Naraku was pissed.

His usually reliable sources had not informed him that Sesshoumaru and Inu-Yasha had joined forces against him.  And so, as Kagura's loyalty had become questionable of late, he had followed his daughter on her mission to retrieve a few shards that he had somehow missed.  Now here he was, trapped between two very angry brothers.  Inu-Yasha on his own didn't worry him; Sesshoumaru wasn't too big of a threat.  But the both of them together produced a potentially lethal combination.  Furthermore, Sesshoumaru was wielding the Tetsusaiga, yet another fact that had escaped his information net.

Just as soon as he escaped, someone was going to pay for this.  That was, **if** he could get away.

Hissing in anger, he dodged a blow from Tetsusaiga, only to be hit from behind by Inu-Yasha's claws.  With a vicious blow, he knocked the insolent hanyou back for long enough to allow him time to glance around.  Kagura was facing off against the monk and the exterminator and doing quite well, but she didn't seem to inclined to come and help him.  Blasted bitch, he grumbled to himself, I'll take care of her when we get back.  There was no sign of the kitsune, fire cat or Kagome, though.  And where the fuck was Kikyo?

Lashing out, Naraku saw an opening and ran.  He was sure that he would get away when he saw her.  Kagome, standing with her head bowed and fingers steepled before her, concentrating hard.  He barely had time to recognize that the glint in her earrings as shikon shards before he slammed into something **very** hard and blacked out.

***

Sesshoumaru's heart nearly stopped when he saw who was in Naraku's path.  It was odd, but he hadn't noticed her standing her there before.  With a growl, he launched himself after the hanyou, feeling his brother beside him.  But even as he did so, he knew he would be too late, Naraku was fast, and Kagome just stood there, seemingly oblivious.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and she smirked.  Naraku slammed to a stop instantly – literally – and fell to the ground with a thud.  He caught a flicker of red before her before it faded, but he didn't stop, rushing straight to Kagome's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked with a growl, not taking his eyes from Naraku's form.  The hanyou was beginning to stir, but Inu-Yasha could take care of him for a while.

"Fine," she answered demurely, folding her hands across her swollen stomach in a way that said she felt the question was unnecessary.  Knowing that he would get no remorse from the woman for her foolish actions, the demon lord instead rounded on a wide-eyed Shippou.

"I told you to keep her away!" he growled furiously.  Naraku was rising now.

"I was," Kagome hissed back.  "The battle was over there.  And anyway, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you."  Sesshoumaru growled again, but he didn't have time to argue.  Instead, he attacked Naraku, leading him away from Kagome.

She was probably right anyway.  Kagome had proven herself in battles before, and she wasn't even truly fighting in this one.  So he focused wholly on the fight before him; the sooner it was over, the less chance there was of her getting hurt.  His eyes blazed red as his mind narrowed down to one thing: destroy Naraku.  The hanyou couldn't hold against his onslaught.  With Tetsusaiga in hand, Sesshoumaru was invincible.

"Watch out!" Kagome screamed suddenly, and something slammed into his side.

***

_Shit!_ Kagome thought frantically as she watched Kikyo rush Sesshoumaru.  She couldn't hit the priestess for fear of hurting the demon as well, and as Inu-Yasha had pointed out, she couldn't exactly waddle up there and actually expect to do any good.  That's it!

"Inu-Yasha!" she yelled.  "Help him!"  But the hanyou was clearly having trouble deciding what to do.  He never had been able to harm Kikyo, even when she had been after him, and he clearly didn't like his brother very much.  Kagome began to fret.  "Inu-Yasha," she screeched, following with a variety of explicatives that she wasn't even aware she knew.  Kikyo was holding her own against the demon, and she feared that the dead woman would soon overtake him.  "If you don't help him right now, I swear, I'll rip out your guts and turn them into contemporary art!!!"

Inu-Yasha decided that it would be a good idea to help his brother.

As soon as the dog hanyou ripped Kikyo away, Kagome flung herself at Sesshoumaru.  "Are you all right?" she asked, worried.  He nodded, sitting up and apparently catching his second wind.

"I'm all right," he repeated softly, brushing a finger across her cheek before pushing her away.  "Now get out of here."  Before Kagome realized what was happening, Naraku had attacked again, Sesshoumaru countering his blows with the Tetsusaiga.

She did as she was bid, grabbing Shippou and Kirara and running to a safer place.  Glancing in Miroku and Sango's direction, she saw that they were still battling Kagura and some lesser demons that had accompanied her.  They seemed to be holding their own, but she threw a few blasts at the demons anyway before turning back towards Naraku and Sesshoumaru.

Naraku seemed to have gained a second wind as well, and a little courage to boot.  He seemed to have realized that there was no way he was escaping this time so, for once, he had decided to fight.  Sesshoumaru was up to the challenge, but without the blind rage that had overtaken him before, Naraku was slowly gaining the upper hand.

_How is that possible?_ Kagome wondered to herself as she watched helplessly.  Then a flash caught her eye, and it hit her.  Naraku was harnessing the power of the shards that he had to increase his power.  And as strong as Sesshoumaru was, he hadn't the strength to win.  And there was no one to help him.  Inu-Yasha was to busy restraining Kikyo to help (what were they **doing**?), and the others were busy elsewhere.

They were in a lot of trouble, Kagome realized, and it was going to take a great deal of luck to win this battle.

***

Inu-Yasha watched Kikyo anxiously from the corner of his eye.  She was struggling furiously in his arms, and he couldn't understand why.

"Kikyo?" he ventured softly, "What's the matter with you?"

Suddenly, the woman went limp, and turned her liquid black eyes up to fix on his face.  "Inu-Yasha," she whispered softly, brushing her hand across his cheek.  "Where is Kagome?  We must find her."

The hanyou blinked, trying to clear his mind.  "Why?"

Kikyo batted her eyes at him, "She's very vulnerable in her condition."  Inu-Yasha felt himself slipping into her dark eyes.  They really should find Kagome, he began to think.  Sesshoumaru was too busy fighting to watch out for her, so it would be up to he and Kikyo to protect her.

Kikyo?  Protecting Kagome?

Wait a minute.  "Why do you care about Kagome's safety?  You never have before," Inu-Yasha said suspiciously.  Without warning, the angelic look on the dead woman's face melted into hideous anger.  She spun, sweeping the surrounding area until her eye caught something and she launched herself in that direction.

Inu-Yasha paused for a moment, trying to see what Kikyo had.  But there was nothing there.  Shaking his head, Inu-Yasha took off after the woman, one thought stuck firmly in his mind.

Kikyo had completely lost it.

***

"Kirara, we need to do something.  See if you can draw off Naraku for a moment, but don't get too close to him."  The fire cat meowed in ascent as she trotted off toward the battle.  Kagome closed her eyes as she began to gather her power for a subduing spell to put on Naraku.

"Kagome, you know my invisibility won't hold when you're doing that," Shippou said nervously.

Kagome smiled wryly, "That won't matter in a moment."  Shippou sighed and dropped his spell altogether.  A flicker of movement caught his attention and he turned to see Kikyo barreling towards them!

"Kagome!  Watch out!" he yelled, but too late.

Kagome turned, her concentration shot, to see Kikyo tackled by Inu-Yasha.

***

Kouga's ears pricked as he heard the sounds of a battle not to far off.  Normally, he wouldn't have paid much attention, but a shout that sounded suspiciously like "Kagome" caught his attention.  With a growl, he sped off in the direction of the shout.

No one would hurt his woman while he was around.

***

Deftly, Inu-Yasha flipped Kikyo over so that they were face to face and pinned her to the ground by her shoulders.  "What's wrong with you, huh?  What're you after Kagome for?"

"You can't be that dense," the dead priestess spat back.  "She has **my** soul, and I want it **back**!"

Inu-Yasha blinked, looking up at Kagome, who was watching the exchange dispassionately.  Behind her, flashes of the battle between Sesshoumaru and Naraku could be seen.  The hanyou looked down again at the woman he had once loved, his hands tightening on her shoulders.  "No."

"What?" Kikyo hissed.

"I won't let you hurt Kagome."  The words rung out like the toll of a bell, but Kikyo wasn't down for the count yet.  Her hands gripped Inu-Yasha's shoulders and she began to burn through his fire rat haori with pure magic.  He yelped and sprung up.  Kikyo followed and turned towards Kagome, who stood rooted to the ground in amazement.

"Now girl," she said with wicked glee, "I'll have what's mine."

***

Kagome couldn't move.  She could vaguely hear Shippou pleading for her to do something.  The sounds of battle clashed behind her, but everything seemed to be as if she was viewing the world from underwater.  And with a sudden certainty, she knew she was going to die.

I'm so sorry, Sesshoumaru, that all of this was in vain.

A blur of red entered her vision, and golden eyes locked with hers just as Kikyo was torn to pieces.

***

Kouga entered the battlefield to see Kagome fall backwards to land on her bottom.  With a flash, he was by her side, and though he was very confused by her current condition, he pushed his questions aside for later.  "Kagome-chan, are you all right?"

She didn't answer; her eyes remained locked on a pile of dirt and bones before her.  "Kagome?" the fox child asked uncertainly.  Finally the woman shook herself and raised her head enough to look the dog-hanyou in the face.

"Inu-Yasha," she breathed, much to Kouga's displeasure.  Her mouth worked up and down a few times, trying to form words, until she finally smiled wryly and stood, brushing herself off.  "Thank you."

***

The cat-youkai was screwing with his plans.  Just when he had been about to beat the Lord of the Western Lands, it had to jump in and ruin everything.  Even the power of the partially completed jewel wasn't enough to beat both the demons at once.

Perhaps it was time to bring in a little reinforcement.

***

Sesshoumaru growled as Naraku retreated slightly and suddenly whistled shrilly.  He wasn't sure was the signal meant, but he was sure that he wouldn't like it.  When a young boy came loping up, he wondered if Naraku had lost it.  "That's your master plan," he laughed, slinging Tetsusaiga over his shoulder.

Naraku didn't get a chance to reply, for Kagome's shrill scream cut through the air.  Sesshoumaru turned immediately before he realized what he was doing and turned back to see that both Naraku and the boy were affected by whatever was bothering Kagome.  Deeming it safe, he turned his back on Naraku once more and loped toward the woman in question.

"Move," he growled at his brother and Shippou, who were crowded around her.  Shippou hopped over to Kagome's other side, where the wolf-demon, Kouga, lay.  Both he and Kagome were surrounded in a pale pink glow.  Before he could figure out what was happening, the amber drops in her ears shattered.  The two shards contained within combined and hovered above her, while two from Kouga's legs, the ones from Naraku, and another lone one from the boy joined them.  Glancing over, he realized that the boy had dropped to the ground and appeared to be dead, if Sango's scream was any clue.  When he looked back, the jewel had disappeared, and Kagome was blinking sleepily as the glow faded, lingering the longest around her hip.  His hand went to her cheek.  "Kagome?"  She smiled tiredly, placing her small hand over his reassuringly.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as they focused on something behind him.  "Watch out!"  The next thing the demon knew, he was flying through the air, followed shortly by Inu-Yasha.  The two brothers scrambled to their feet at Kagome's scream.  Naraku dealt a vicious blow to her abdomen before either of them could react and she slumped to the ground.  Kouga lay next to her, unconscious and bleeding from a head wound.

Sesshoumaru didn't stop to think.  Tightening his grip around the Tetsusaiga, he charged after Naraku, who leapt away.  The hanyou seemed to have returned to his former battle strategy: flight before fight.  And with every step, he was closer to getting away.  The last shreds of the demon lord's sensible mind told him this, while his animalistic side was screaming at him to transform and dismember the one who had dared laid a and on his Kagome.  With a deep-throated growl, he threw down his sword and gave in.

***

Inu-Yasha watched in horror as his brother transformed into his true form.  He had never seen Sesshoumaru so angry before, not even when he had been denied the Tetsusaiga in their father's grave so long ago.  So instead of going to help him as he had originally planned, he turned to Kagome – and Kouga – who was unconscious from the earlier attack.

Shippou sat beside her, a little worse for wear himself, trying to wake her up.  He backed off a bit as Inu-Yasha knelt and looked up at the hanyou with watery eyes.  "She won't wake up," he whispered softly.

Inu-Yasha's insides turned to ice as he slipped his hand under his chin to feel for a pulse, and sighed with relief as, after a very tense moment, he felt a beat, then another.  "She's alive," he whispered, "She's alive!"

If his brother heard him, he was ignored.  By now, he had trapped Naraku between his huge paws.  Standing, he grinned as he saw the expression on the other hanyou's face.  Naraku looked as if he was about to piss his pants.

Without warning, Sesshoumaru belched poison onto the demon, and when the steam cleared away, there was nothing left but a few bits of bones of the man once known as Onigumo.

***

Miroku's eyes widened as Sesshoumaru transformed.  Their battle had stopped when Kagome had screamed.  Wordlessly the three of them – Sango, Miroku, and Kagura – watched as the shards were ripped from Naraku's chest and Kohaku's back and as Sesshoumaru finally destroyed Naraku once and for all.

Finally, Miroku turned to Kagura and studied her for a moment.  Then he smiled softly, "You'd better go."

With a grateful smile, she left.

***

Even though the urgent need to get to Kagome overwhelmed him, Sesshoumaru didn't forget to slide his sword back into its sheath.  Without a word, he swiped Inu-Yasha out of the way and slid down next to her.  A quick look over her made his gut wrench; most of the damage was centered on her swollen stomach and she was bleeding heavily.  He knew that without help, soon, she would die.

The demon lord slid his arms around her and picked the woman up, ignoring the protests of her friends.  The only thing that registered was Shippou's determined clinging to his adoptive mother.  Two pairs of youkai eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.  Finally, Sesshoumaru nodded, allowing the young kitsune to climb onto his shoulder before he flew off in the direction of his castle.

_Don't you dare die on me Kagome …_

Next time: Showdown between Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru!  Hey!  Doesn't Kagome get a say?

LL: *plotting evilly*

Sesshy: I don't believe this.  You pull a stunt like that and you're not even worried about it?!?

LL: Nah, it'll all turn out in the end … eventually. *evil grin*

Miroku: *looks nervously over at the rabid fans* For your sake, I hope it doesn't take to long.

LL: Only three chapters left!


	12. Awake to a New Day

A/N: No time for a long one … it's way past my bedtime.  Thanks for all your great reviews.  I got over 500!!!!!! *glomps Sesshy in excitement* Here's the next chappy for you.  And please don't kill me; I did it for a reason.  *runs away to hide*

-mama: stepmother

mon: family crest

Maikimi: Ma – demon ikimi – flesh and blood so Maikimi = flesh and blood of a demon; I sorta made it up, bear with me.

BIG THANKS to Emcron, and Ash for helping me with this chappy.  You guys are great!

Chapter 12: Awake to A New Day

She was dying.  There was no use trying to fool herself.  Every muscle in her body cried out in agony and it felt as though the stuff being pumped through her veins was not blood but some kind of acid that was eating at her from inside.  It hurt to move, to breathe, to **think**.

_Mom, Souta.  Oh grandpa, I'm sorry.  It wasn't supposed to be like this._

_I'm so tired…_  It would be easy to sink into the oblivion of sleep.  The darkness beckoned, stretching out icy black fingers to wrap around her throat and pull her downwards.  She let them, enjoying the cool feel on her neck that pushed away the burning pain.

"Kagome!"  That voice; she knew that voice.  But though her mind worked to produce a name, the darkness surrounded her brain and blacked everything out.  All that she could come up with were wisps of silver hair and burning golden eyes.  Inu-Yasha?  No, that wasn't right.  This voice never said her name that way: in fear, fear for her.

_I'm ok,_ she tried to tell the nameless person.  _I'm ok._  Without realizing it, she pushed away the darkness as she tried to comfort the sad voice.  It was all wrong.  He shouldn't be sad or worried, though she wasn't exactly sure why.  "I'm ok."

The cold fingers melted away, and instantly the searing pain rushed to replace it.  She writhed in agony, but this time refused to give in to the welcoming darkness.  He would be sad if she did.  So she fought, until and entirely different numbing feeling originating from her hip enveloped her and swept her away into oblivion.

***

"Ah, poor little one.  So much pain for such a young one to bear."

"She's hardly a child, in any sense of the word."

"Yes, she never was a child.  Not really."

"Careful.  She wakes."

Kagome opened her eyes.  She lie on her back, but for her life she wouldn't have been able to say whether she was laying on the ground or a futon, all she could have said for sure was that she was extremely comfortable.  There was no ceiling, or walls for that matter, and she had some serious doubts about the existence of the floor.  Everything was a muted silver color that shone slightly with some sort of ethereal light.  And though she had heard voices, there was no one to be seen.

"Where am I?" she whispered, almost afraid of an answer.

Sure enough, the first voice that she had heard, a gentle woman, answered.  "Inside your mind dear."

Kagome frowned, "Why is it so, so…"

"Vast?" asked another of the voices.

"Grey."

A third, the one that had noticed her waking and seemed constantly amused, replied this time.  "Because you are thinking of nothing in particular.  Try to concentrate on something."

The woman obeyed, locking on to the first thing that came to mind.  For the briefest of seconds, a white-clad silver-haired figure appeared before her, but flicked away when surprise caused her to lose her concentration.  "Sesshoumaru," she whispered.  "Come back."

A hand fell on her shoulder, though she couldn't see it.  For some reason, in this odd place, it didn't seem to bother her.  "Enough," came the fourth and final voice before she could try and bring back the demon.  Softer, he added, "You will see the demon lord soon enough.  It is time for you to wake."

Kagome started.  "Already?  But I have so many questions…"  Her protests faded as her eyes opened, this time for real.

***

This is getting too damn weird, Kagome decided as she tried to focus on the stone ceiling.  The unbearable pain that had engulfed her before had dulled to a throb, mostly centered around her lower abdomen.  Putting it aside for a moment, she tried to figure out where she was and dissect her odd dream at the same time.

As it turned out, she wasn't even able to do that much.  And put to a choice, she decided that she had better stick to dream interpretation, if she had been captured by Naraku then she really didn't want to know at the moment.

Had it really been a dream?  It had seemed so real, and everything, though it now seemed altogether unusual, had seemed familiar.  And comforting.  Kagome started in realization.  It felt like home.  Not the little house that she had grown up in, but home, the feeling that enveloped her like a lover's embrace every time she found a place that brought her peace.

She shivered, and closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself.  Suddenly, she decided that she would rather figure out where she was; the thought of spending an eternity in a dream world – no matter how perfect it was – didn't appeal to her much.  Her eyes opened again and she tired to force her tired eyes to focus.

"Kagome-mama!"  The woman turned her head to look into a pair of wide eyes.

"Rin-chan?"

"Hi, Kagome-mama!  You're awake!  You sure slept a long time."  The young girl frowned slightly.  "Were you really tired?"

Kagome smiled tiredly, "Yea.  I sure was."  The smile faded as she lay back, trying to hide a grimace from the girl.  She throbbed, and the pain threatened to consume her once more.  "Why don't you go tell Sesshoumaru-sama that I'm awake?"  In truth, she really didn't think that the demon lord would care too much, but she didn't want Rin to see her like this.

"Sure Kagome-mama!" the girl chirped and bounded away.

Kagome allowed herself to relax her mask as she tried to get her pain under control.  It hurt everywhere.  Her frayed nerve endings were screaming louder and louder…

Until suddenly, a soothing voice, or rather, four soothing voices in unison, said something that she couldn't make out, but the pain subsided.  Her eyes snapped open.  _That was no dream…_

Without the pain to distract her, exhaustion poured over her and her eyes slid closed.  A few moments or a few hours later the shoji door slamming open then closed woke her fully.  She tried to sit up to see what was going on, but her abused body wouldn't let her.

A hand slid behind her head as she fell back down and her eyes locked with a pair of golden ones.  "Shh, don't try to move too much."

"Sesshou," she whispered.

"Yes.  It's me."  Then he surprised her by dropping a soft swift kiss on her lips.  Before she had any time to react, however, he pulled away, and odd expression flashing over his face before it was replaced by his usual one.  "I am … well, it's about time you woke up."

Kagome frowned slightly.  Sesshoumaru was just as confusing as ever, which in some ways was a relief.  "How long have I been out?  For that matter, what happened?"

The demon lord sat back, settling into a sitting position beside her on the futon.  For a moment, he seemed to consider what to say.  Finally, he spoke.  "Naraku is dead."  Sesshoumaru grimaced slightly, though Kagome doubted that it had anything to do with the evil hanyou's death.

Once again, Kagome struggled to sit up, but this time, Sesshoumaru slipped an arm around her and helped her sit up.  "I don't remember that," she frowned slightly, "Kikyo's dead too right?  I remember Inu-Yasha…" Kagome trailed off, remembering the look on the priestess' face when Inu-Yasha had destroyed her.  The woman pressed a palm to her forehead; she didn't want to think about that at the moment.  "Umm, how long was I out?"

The demon lord didn't blink at her abrupt change of subject.  "Two days."

Two days, Kagome mused, two days of her life that she would never get back.  Then again, maybe they hadn't been a complete loss.  After all, Naraku was dead, and they were safe.  Considering the circumstances, the price that they paid had been rather small.

But what would happen now?  Kagome's hand strayed to her belly without thought.  It was flat!  The woman looked down at herself for the first time since she'd woken, and confirmed that she was, indeed, no longer the size of a whale.  Wide-eyed she turned back to Sesshoumaru who was watching her with a carefully blank expression on his face.  "Where…?" she began, but he cut her off by rising from the bed.

"You should get some rest, Kagome," he said softly in a tone that brooked no argument.  But she would have none of it.  In a move that surprised them both, she grabbed the retreating demon's leg and tugged with an unnatural strength, making him topple to the ground.  Ignoring her screaming muscles, she crawled forward and sat on Sesshoumaru's chest, pinning him where he lay.

"Don't blow me off, Sesshoumaru.  Where is my baby?!" she screeched.  The demon winced at the abuse to his sensitive ears and sat up, letting Kagome slide into his lap.  The look on his face told her all that she needed to know as fleeting memories began to surface.

_"She's lost a lot of blood my lord.  But the blows have induced contractions.  We can force the birth of the child."_

_"What about Kagome?"_

_"She's very badly wounded my lord; they both are.  We will have a better chance saving the child."_

_"I don't give a damn about the brat!  Just save Kagome!"_

Without any warning, a flood of tears sprung to her eyes.  "No."  Her baby was gone.  It had been all her fault for getting to close to the battle in the first place.  It was her fault that the child was gone, and yet she had lived.  "No, no, no," she whispered and turned her haunted eyes to Sesshoumaru.  "He's gone."  And then Sesshoumaru held her while she cried.

***

With shaking hands, Kagome carefully brushed her fingers against the engraved kanji of her son's headstone while Sesshoumaru watched silently.  "Maikimi," she read once more.  Tears formed in her eyes as she turned back to him, "So you accept him, as your son?"

Against his will, he felt the stern expression that he had adopted softening.  "Of course."  Carefully, he wiped the tears from her face while he steeled himself for what he was about to say next.  "How do you feel?"

Kagome, who had been expected something a little less mundane, looked confused.  "Like shit," she blurted out without really thinking about what she was saying.

"I'm glad." Sesshoumaru caught the woman's wrist before she could slap him, and continued without blinking.  "I'm glad that you are still able to feel like shit.  You nearly died."  Using his grip on her wrist, the demon drew the now very confused Kagome into an embrace and dropped his voice to a whisper.  "I never really admitted how important you were to me before, Kagome.  But when … when you were sick, all I could think is that I would not be able to live without you."  He paused, taking a deep breath.  "Forgive me Kagome.  I killed our son."  Kagome gasped, but Sesshoumaru didn't stop.  "I had to let him die, Kagome.  If I hadn't, you would have taken his place."  Pulling back, he looked into the woman's teary eyes, "There will be more pups, but there will never be anyone else like you."  Finally Sesshoumaru fell silent, waiting to see how his words had affected his beloved.

Kagome watched him, wide eyed, as she tried to process what she was hearing.  "More … pups?  Our pups?"

The demon lord nodded, his hands gripping her shoulders firmly.  "I do not wish to let anyone else bear my children.  Will you be my mate, Kagome?"  The woman stood dumbfounded, unable to speak.  After a few moments, Sesshoumaru became nervous, what if she refused him?  "Kagome?" he asked hesitantly, breaking her out of her trance.

She blinked and looked up at him for all of .5 seconds.  Then she launched herself at him with a cry.  The demon lord caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her waist.  "Yes!" she cried into his shoulder.  "Yes, of course."

The demon lord allowed a rare smile to cross his face as he held a sobbing Kagome.  His eyes rested on his son's grave.  _I would that you had had a chance, my son._  He turned his gaze to Kagome, _but Death cannot be cheated, and yours was not in vain._

***

Dark thoughts invaded Kagome's dreams, and she woke from them in a cold sweat.  Without really thinking about it, her hand groped to her left in search of some comfort.  Sesshoumaru was gone, and considering that the sun was shining merrily through the window in their room, she wasn't surprised.

Had it really only been yesterday that she had agreed to become Sesshoumaru's mate?  It felt as though they had been sleeping in the same bed for years.  With a small smile, Kagome pressed her palm to the mark just above her left breast.  It still stung a bit, but that wasn't the reason why she remembered it.  The look on the demon lord's face when he had flicked his claw across her delicate skin was priceless.  He had seemed horrified at the thought of harming her, even to mark her as his own.  Kagome herself hadn't really minded; she'd barely felt it after all, and a scar shaped like Sesshoumaru's mon was going to look really cool when it healed.

All in all, a good night's sleep had done her a world of good.  She was still a touch sore in the unmentionable areas, but other than that, she felt as good as new.  Laughter outside her window dispelled the last of the fear induced by her dreams, and she stretched with a lazy smile on her face.  Perhaps she would go and she what Rin and Shippou were up to, and then find Sesshoumaru.  They had a mating ceremony to plan after all.  She really needed to go home and explain things to her mother as well.  Mama would be happy to know that the demon lord was doing right by her.

Stretching again, Kagome pulled on another light kimono over her yukata and got out of bed.  Her sudden urge to see her family was overwhelming, and she needed to talk to Sesshoumaru about going back.

Sliding the door shut behind her, Kagome slipped down the hall towards Sesshoumaru's library, that was as good a place as any to start looking for him.  Before she got two steps, however, the woman heard the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle, and then none other than Inu-Yasha yelling.  With a curse, Kagome headed off in that direction.

***

He wasn't about to give up on her that easily.  They had fought too long, too hard together to be separated now.  Curse his stubborn idiocy, but he had finally figured out whom he **really** loved.  And now that there were no battle, no barriers between them, he wasn't going to lose her.  He couldn't lose her.

In typical Inu-Yasha fashion, the hanyou didn't bother to argue with the guards at the gate, he merely barged strait through them.  His fear for Kagome's safety blinded all reason as he ignored the furious demons that were now chasing him.  It had all ready been three days since the battle.  Three days of desperate worry, but he had an obligation to get Sango and Miroku to Kaede to be treated first.  Once he had, however, nothing, not even exhaustion or hunger, had been able to stop him from getting to Kagome.

Except maybe his brother.

The demon lord, coming out to see what the commotion was about, had stepped right in front of him.  That didn't stop Inu-Yasha though; he barged strait into the full demon with a roar.

"Where is she!?"

Sesshoumaru delicately stepped out of his raging brother's way.  "She is fine.  Don't yell; you will wake her up."

Inu-Yasha turned, glaring at his brother, who was signaling his guards to return to their posts.  "Don't preach to me, **brother**," he spat in return.  "I know Kagome better than you ever will!"

The demon lord raised an eyebrow, "Oh?  Then explain to me how you failed to see that your continuous pursuit of that undead priestess was tearing her apart.  Or how you neglected to know that she would eventually turn on you when she finally wearied of your constant betrayals!"  Inu-Yasha roared and lunged, but this time Sesshoumaru didn't step out of the way.  He caught the hanyou by the neck and lifted him up so that he dangled like an insolent pup.  "Be advised, little brother, that I would not hesitate to snap your neck here and now except that it would upset Kagome."

"Sesshou?"

Inu-Yasha watched through teary eyes as the demon's own golden ones widened slightly as he looked beyond his prey.  Suddenly, the hanyou was dropped to the ground and he scrambled up, turning to see what had caught his brother's attention.

Kagome stood behind him, loosely wrapped in a kimono and under kimono and leaning heavily against the wall.  Seeking comfort in her scent, he found that it was slightly tainted with blood, her blood to be exact.  Growling, the half-demon turned to Sesshoumaru, who was watching Kagome, and lunged.  "What happened to her you bastard?" he yelled.

"Sit!"  Suddenly, Inu-Yasha found himself getting up close and personal with Sesshoumaru's floor.  Which in itself was probably a good thing for the demon lord, seeing as he probably would have taken the full force of Inu-Yasha's attack without Kagome's intervention.  As it was, he merely slipped to the woman's side just in time to catch her before she fell.

Wrapping his arms around her, the demon leaned down and whispered into her ear, "You should be in bed."

Kagome's eyes flicked to her soon-to-be mate and then back to Inu-Yasha, who was getting up with a few choice curses to help him along.  "I heard you fighting."

"And you thought that you were well enough to run down the hall?" Sesshoumaru reprimanded.

"But I'm feeling a lot better!"  _Oh Kagome, you haven't changed much, and yet you've changed too much all at the same time._  Listening to the exchange, Inu-Yasha realized that it was much like those few that he recalled between his parents, so long ago.  With a small groan, the hanyou sprung to his feet and turned to face the two.  Maybe Kagome was happy here with his brother, but he wasn't quite satisfied yet.

Putting on his best arrogant face, Inu-Yasha said, "Why are you bleeding, Kagome?"  The woman blushed, and silently pulled away a corner of her kimono to reveal a small wound in the shape of his father's mon, the symbol of his family.  He turned to Sesshoumaru, who looked at him with a blank expression, almost daring him to argue.

Kagome looked between the two and hastily cut in.  "Sesshoumaru, I would like to talk to Inu-Yasha alone please."  Turning her best puppy-dog expression to the demon lord, she got him to agree, steadying herself against the wall as he left.

"You're his mate," Inu-Yasha snapped as soon as Sesshoumaru vanished.  He couldn't help it; even though he knew in his heart that he had lost Kagome long ago, it was still hard to accept.

"Not officially," Kagome said, "But yes."

Inu-Yasha watched her for a moment, and then in one last ditch effort, blurted, "Are you sure about this?"

She didn't hesitate.  "Absolutely."  Then she sighed, "I love him Inu-Yasha.  I know for a fact that I love him.  With you, I always wondered if it was just Kikyo's residual feelings, and you never seemed to care anyway."  Inu-Yasha winced, but she didn't stop.  "Sesshoumaru would give everything for me, even our son."  Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.  "You needn't worry that he will harm me."

The half-demon watched Kagome for a long time, processing all that she had said.  Finally he replied, "Ok."

"What?"

"Ok.  I … I know I wasn't the best to you, and Sesshoumaru … well, he's honorable.  If he asked you to be his mate, then I have to believe that it will be for the best."  He forced a smile, "Besides, at least it wasn't Kouga, right?"  Kagome was to stunned to say anything, so after a moment, Inu-Yasha turned away.  "I'll just go now."

"Wait!"  He stopped, but refused to turn back to her.  "Come here … please."  After a few moments of wrestling with himself, the hanyou did as he was bid, stopping within a few feet of Kagome.  She reached forward and tugged off the beads that had held him in slavery for so long.  "You don't need these anymore," Kagome explained quietly, tucking them into her sleeve.  He nodded silently, willing himself to move, but he found that he lacked the willpower.  Inu-Yasha knew that the moment he stepped out the doors, he was giving Kagome up forever.  "Where will you go now?" she finally asked.

Inu-Yasha shrugged, "I don't know.  Probably back to Kaede's village."  And finally, he turned, forcing himself to finally say goodbye.

Kagome watched silently as he walked thorough the doors, whispering a goodbye of her own.  Inu-Yasha had been her first love, and through their ordeal she had learned much.  She would miss him … Kagome realized as he disappeared from view.  But she could not grieve for her broken crush, there was too much that she had to look forward to with Sesshoumaru.

With a small smile, Kagome turned away from Inu-Yasha and her past and went in search of Sesshoumaru: her love, her mate, and her future.

_Not Kouga indeed…_

***

"…And so we're getting married – sorta – and I'm going to live with him in the Sengoku Jidai."

Kagome's mother sat back in her chair, dumbfounded.  Souta was grinning like an idiot, and her grandpa was frowning.  Not exactly the best reaction, but considering all that she'd told them, it was better than she had expected.  At least her mother hadn't had a mental episode yet.  She had started from when they had seen each other last, towards the beginning of her pregnancy, and, using the details that Sesshoumaru had provided her with, had filled her family in up to that point.  She had left the demon lord at home, figuring that his presence would only complicate things.

Kagome's mother sighed, "I just don't know about this.  You're only seventeen after all, and what about your schooling?"

Kagome echoed her mother.  "I love him, mama.  And besides, I can hardly tell him that I've changed my mind now.  Seventeen isn't as young as you make it sound, especially in the Sengoku Jidai, so I think that I am old enough to make my own decisions.  As for school … well, I don't need to know about history that hasn't happened yet, or languages that haven't been heard, or places that no one has heard of where I'm going to be."

"You're dropping out?" her mother practically screeched.

Kagome rubbed her ears and mumbled, "We go to school so that we can function in our particular society.  Since I'm not going to be living here, there's no point.  I can learn whatever I need to know with Sesshoumaru.  I'll still come back and visit, I promise."

Her mom thought this over for a while.  Finally, she said, "I can see that there is no changing your mind.  And I do think that you are old enough to make your own decisions, Kagome.  Going back and forth like you've been doing has matured you.  So, though I'm not happy about it, I'm not going to stop you from living with the man you love."  Kagome grinned, unable to contain herself, and hugged her mother, then her brother and her grandpa.

"Well, I guess I'll have to think of some excuse for why you're not going back to school, eh Kagome?"

"No way, grandpa," the woman replied a little too quickly.  Jeez, even after a stroke, the old guy hadn't changed.  "Knowing you, you'll say that I'm dead, and then I won't be able to visit my friends.  Just say that I moved to the country with some relatives for my health or something."

Her grandpa grinned, "Hey, that's a good one."  They shared a laugh and chatted for a few moments more before Kagome stood up.

"Well, I better get going."

Her mother frowned, "You're sure you won't stay tonight?"

Kagome hugged her mom lightly, "It's not that I don't want to, but I better be getting home.  Sesshoumaru's waiting for me."

Next time: Preparing for the mating ceremony, and a lesson in the jewel's makeup.

*from a secret hiding place where she cannot be killed* Two more to go … And there will be a sequel to tie up loose ends.

Don't kill me!  I had to do it!


	13. Promising Forever

*sniffle* You know, I'm actually kind of sad that this is ending.  After this, there is only a short epilogue to finally wrap things up. I would have done it earlier, but there's one last thing that I wanted to do before I completed this.  Actually, I'm kind of surprised that no one asked me about the voices that Kagome heard last chapter, but if you were wondering, then everything will be explained shortly.

I'm really sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out.  I take five classes, and they all decided to give essays and/or tests all at once, so I was really busy with that, then I had this nasty case of writers block, and I've had a hellacious past few days.  Whew, it feels good to get that all off my chest; sorry for griping so much, I'm just in a really bad mood.  If you leave me some really nice reviews then I'll feel a lot better!

Miroku: Aww, you poor thing … I'll make you feel better.

LL: *thwaps Miroku*

Speaking of which, I just checked mine, and I've got 598!!!!!!!!  I love you people!  Seriously though, I really appreciate all your wonderful feedback, you guys are the greatest!!!

One last thing and I'll shut up:  I've had quite a few questions about the sequel, so here's just some basic info: the sequel will be called Broken, and it takes place ten years after Promises ends.  I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that Kagome and Sess have two kids.  However, it is mostly about Inu-Yasha finally getting over his feelings for Kagome.  It is not a 'Inu-Yasha gets a hot babe' plot, which, as AoiHyou said, would not be cool at all.  I might add in a bit of romance for Inu though, just cause he deserves it and I feel sorry for him (I won't say who though cause it's a surprise ^_~).  I intend to take a break between Promises and Broken though, mostly to work a little on Duality (which is updated btw) and I really want to write a Miroku fic.

Miroku: *inches away slowly*

Disclaimer: *burning Adult Swim in effigy* Inu-Yasha is mine! *evil cackle* All mine! *grabs Sesshy and Miroku and runs away still cackling*  B0b: We would like to point out that LL is **lying**, and we don't own Inu-Yasha.  Plus we are broke, so suing us wouldn't do any good anyway. 

Chapter 13: Promising Forever

"We have to invite Omura-san," Kagome said as she skimmed lazily through Sesshoumaru's papers.  They were lying on their bed, enjoying a quiet afternoon, while Sesshoumaru did some paperwork.  At least, that had been the original idea.

The demon lord grumbled as he wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and buried his face into her back.  "No we don't."

"But he's your best friend.  I think that he'd like to be here … Hey!  Stop that!  It tickles!"  Kagome dissolved into helpless giggles as Sesshoumaru nibbled on her neck.  With a swift movement, the demon grabbed her waist and flipped her, pinning the woman underneath him with an evil grin.  "Stop that," she giggled, pressing her palms to his chest as if to push him away, "We've got work to do."  Sesshoumaru grinned wider and tickled her mercilessly.  Kagome screeched, and wiggled out of his grasp, flinging herself across the room to catch her breath.  When Sesshoumaru stood with a predatory look on his face, she held out a hand to warn him away.  "You'd better watch out, buster, I'll call Shippou in here, and he'll stick you to the floor, you just watch… Oh shit!"  With that last exclamation, Kagome slid open the door and ran down the hall, shrieking in delight, Sesshoumaru hot on her heels.

A door slid open and they rushed past, and Rin and Shippou peeked out.  The young fox demon sighed once he'd recovered from his initial shock and shook his head in mock despair.  "Grown-ups."

***

"Come in."  Kagome looked up from her book as the door slid open and Shippou stepped into her room.

"Hey, Kagome.  Are you feeling all right?" the young kitsune asked.  Kagome fought back a smile as she watched the boy.  It was obvious that he wanted to crawl into her lap, but at the same time was worried about invading her personal space.

She reached forward and snagged the kit with a grin, solving his dilemma as she settled him into her lap.  "I'm fine.  Why do you ask?"  Shippou hesitated, toying with the book she'd been reading.  "Well?" Kagome prompted playfully.

"Sesshoumaru told me about Inu-Yasha.  And you're in here all alone, so I thought I'd just check on you," he said quietly.

Kagome blinked.  "I wasn't aware that you were on speaking terms with Sesshoumaru," she teased.

"Of course I am, we're the best of friends."  They shared a laugh, until Shippou's face became grave.  "But seriously Kagome, are you ok about all of this?"

The woman clutched Shippou like a teddy bear, resting her chin on his head.  Finally, she sighed, "I don't know.  I was in love with Inu-Yasha for so long, or at least I thought I was … but what I felt for him was nothing compared to what I feel for Sesshou.  I do worry about him though, about what he'll do.  Inu-Yasha is all alone now."

Shippou twisted until he could hug Kagome.  "He's not alone, he has Miroku and Sango and even Kaede.  He'll be fine."  Kagome blinked again, and looked down at Shippou with a small smile.

"You're right of course, Shippou-kun.  Sometimes you seem to be a lot older than you look."  After a short pause, Kagome grinned suddenly.  Without warning, she attacked the kitsune, tickling him without mercy.  "All right, who are you and what have you done with Shippou?"

"I am Shippou!" the boy gasped between giggles.  He squirmed away and wiped the tears from his eyes, still giggling, half daring Kagome to come after him.

She didn't take the dare, but sat back with a thoughtful expression.  Shippou watched her warily.  "All right," she said finally, "I believe you.  But what are you doing inside?  You should be out playing with Rin; it's such a nice day."

Shippou made a face.  "She's playing Princess or something girly like that with Jaken."

Kagome fought to keep a straight face, "Well, don't you think the Princess needs a Prince?"

"No."  Shippou eyed the woman warily as she pouted at him.  Finally he sighed, "Fine.  Will you come with me?"

"Oh, I don't think I'll make a very good Prince," Kagome said, picking up her book.  Seeing that she wanted to read, Shippou left quietly.  Kagome watched him go over the rim of her book.  _I suppose that you are right about Inu-Yasha, Shippou.  But what will Sesshoumaru do when I am gone?_

***

Shippou was lost so deep in thought as he bounced down the hall that he nearly ran into Sesshoumaru on his way to find Rin and Jaken.  Thanks to Inu-Yasha, he was able to easily avoid the hand that grabbed for his bushy tail.  Dancing just out of reach, he grinned up at the demon lord who was doing his best to glare at him sternly.

"Well?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

"She's fine," Shippou chirped before running off.

The demon lord watched him go, and then turned to look back towards Kagome's room,  "Is that so?"

***

Kagome tossed a pebble into the pond in the garden.  She was sitting on the bridge that spanned over the water, leaning up against the railing, with a pile of small rocks sitting next to her.  One by one, she tossed them.

Plop.

Sesshoumaru was off doing some Lord-type stuff.  Someday soon, she had to ask him just exactly what he did to take care of his territory.  Knowing the demon as she did, he probably spent as much time pissing off his neighbors as he did making treaties with them.  No doubt he could use a hand with negotiating.  If he even bothered to negotiate.

Plop.

Shippou and Rin were off torturing, er, playing with Jaken.  She was seriously beginning to think that the toad demon was masochistic, for he had actually volunteered to take the kids off her hands for a bit.  Not that she wasn't grateful or anything, but she had seen some of the stuff that those two had done to him, and well, it wasn't pretty.  Damn funny though.

Plop.

Fuck it.  No matter how hard she tried, Kagome was unable to get her current problem off her mind.  And she had tried, but if cross dresser Jaken didn't distract her than nothing would.  The real killer was that she shouldn't even be having this problem.  Sesshoumaru had accepted her for who she was: a human.  And yet, she worried about the future.  She worried that their child wouldn't be accepted by other demons as Sesshoumaru's heir because of its heritage.  She was afraid to grow old while he remained young.  She was afraid to leave him.  Not because she didn't think that he wasn't strong enough to survive her death, but …

Plop.

It just didn't feel right.

"It is time," a sudden voice intoned.  Kagome's head shot up, but there was no one near.  Yet, she recognized that voice, if only she could place it…

And suddenly it all came back to her.  Her odd dream while she was ill; the voices that had soothed her pain once she had woken.  This was one of the four that she had comforted her.

"I am Kushi-mitama," he continued, as if he could read her thoughts.

Kagome frowned thoughtfully.  Wasn't that…?

Her train of thought was abruptly severed as she happened to look down into the pond.  An old man was staring up at her from the now still waters, reflected on the surface.  With a yelp, she twisted to look behind her, but there was no one there.  Slowly, and a little fearfully, she turned back; the old man still stood there behind her reflection as if that was exactly where he belonged.

"Oh man, I am finally losing it," the woman whimpered, pressing her palms into her eye sockets in an attempt to ward off a headache.

"You've been dragged down a well by a giant centipede.  Ended up in the feudal era.  Traveled all over Japan with a hanyou, a perverted monk, a kitsune, and a demon exterminator who carries a boomerang bigger than she is.  You've survived stuff that they wouldn't put into stories, it's so ludicrous.  You're marrying a demon, who, I'd like to point out, turns into a giant dog, and tried to kill you more than once.  And only now you think that you are going crazy?"  That wasn't the voice of the old man.  Sure enough, when Kagome looked up, a teenage boy with a playful expression on his face was reflected on her other side.  The strangest part was that his voice came from slightly behind her, where the reflection said that he **should** be.

Crossing her arms, Kagome glared into the water.  "If I'm not nuts, then who are you?"

"Ara-mitama of course," he replied.  "And Saki-mitama and Nigi-mitama are here too."  As he pointed, a young girl who was sitting in front of him and a middle aged woman standing behind Kagome appeared in turn.

Something dawned on the woman.  "The four souls," she whispered.  "You are the four souls…" her hand went to her hip, "Of the jewel?"

"Naturally," Saki-mitama said somewhat flippantly.

"We wish to speak with you," Kushi-mitama added.  Kagome shivered; she had just been wondering why they were there.

"It is time you learned the nature of your existence," Nigi-mitama added.

Kagome half-laughed, "Hey, I know all about the birds and the bees, don't worry."

"That's not what we mean, and you know it," Ara-mitama said.  Even he was serious now.

Kagome swallowed.  "Then what?"

The four eyed each other for a moment, and finally, Kushi-mitama spoke.  "We will start with the creation of the jewel through Midoriko."

"As you know, Midoriko was a priestess much like yourself who lived nearly 500 years ago.  Demons were much more abundant back then.  In fact, there were more demons than humans, though their population was beginning to decline…"

"Skip the history lesson, Kushi," Ara cut in, "She knows how the jewel was created."

The older man sighed, "Yes, of course.  But what you don't know, Kagome, is the journey that the jewel went through before it ended up in the hands of Kikyo.  Suffice it to say that the jewel was shuffled from demon to demon, sometimes to humans and back to demons, until finally it ended back up in the hands of the exterminators who passed it on to the priestess.  Much blood was spilt over that bead."

"And it wasn't any fun for us either.  Have you ever been inside a demon's stomach?" Saki said.  "They have atrocious eating habits, or most of them do.  In any case, you of course know the story of Kikyo and Inu-Yasha."  Kagome nodded, and Saki sighed dreamily, "We thought that the two would benefit from each other's love."

"Wait a minute," Kagome broke in, "You mean that you made Kikyo and Inu-Yasha fall in love?"

Saki huffed, "Well, I wouldn't say that we 'made' them fall in love, we just helped it along a little bit.  And it would have worked wonderfully if that dratted Naraku hadn't gotten in the way."

"We felt that with both Inu-Yasha and Kikyo protecting the jewel, we would be much safer than we had been for the last few hundred years." Ara added, "After all, had a demon like Sesshoumaru attempted to take the jewel from Kikyo when she was by herself, she wouldn't be able to stop him."

"It was working quite nicely actually until Naraku came along," Nigi continued, taking up the tale.  "And that is where you come in."

"I know," Kagome said glumly, "I'm the reincarnation of Kikyo."  She hated hearing that; it was getting a little old after all."

"Nonsense," Nigi snorted.  "You are inherently much stronger than she, your magic is different … in fact, there is very little alike between the two of you.  No, you are something far different, and much stronger."

"A rei-youkai?" Kagome breathed.

"No.  You are us," Nigi waved, indicating the four souls that surrounded her.  At Kagome's confused look, she continued, "Though you are not Kikyo's reincarnation, per se, you do contain some of the essential elements of her soul, but not all of them, which was why she was able to come back to life with you still living here.  When she burned the jewel with her body, a bit of her soul became attached to it, causing this effect, which is why you look so much like her, and exhibit a few of her powers."

"However," Kushi broke in, "Your true soul is that of the jewel."

"You were created to protect the jewel in your time," Ara added.

Kagome blinked a few times.  "Oh."  There wasn't much else to say, but still, it sounded rather weak.  Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head.  "So, you're saying that you four created me to protect you?"  They glanced at one another and half shrugged.

"In a way," Ara said.

Saki continued, "We were safe enough in your time … and well, we always figured that we'd end up back here eventually.  Hence the well."

"You were responsible for the well too?"  They nodded, and Kagome shrugged; it made sense if she thought about it.  The woman leaned up against the railing of the bridge, deep in thought.  Around her, the four souls waited patiently for the inevitable question.  "So why are you telling me all of this now?"

Kushi said solemnly, "The jewel's life draws to a close; Midoriko's battle is nearly won, thanks in a large part to your efforts."  Before Kagome could comment, he continued, "We wish to release you from your burden."  Had it been anyone else, Kagome would have sworn that those last words were a death threat.  As it was, she wasn't afraid to keep listening.

Saki began to speak, "You wish to remain with the demon lord."  It wasn't a question.  "We can arrange that."

"Arrange?" Kagome stuttered.

Nigi smiled down at her, "With the last of the jewel's power, we will grant you the immortality of a demon.  Though your physical form will not change."

Kagome's head was spinning, "Really?  You mean I won't grow old and die like a normal human…"

"In case you haven't noticed, you **aren't** a normal human," Ara grinned.

Suddenly she thought of something, "The jewel will be gone right?  So what will happen to you four?"

Another glance was exchanged between the four.  "We are not sure," one of them said finally.  Kagome couldn't tell who had spoken; for some reason, their voices were melding together and rapidly becoming indistinguishable.  "It matters not Kagome," they continued when she was about to protest, "You have made your wish, whether or not you choose to realize it."  They were beginning to fade from the reflection in the pond.

What was that Kaede had told her once?  '…the powers of the jewel of the four souls can make any ambition a reality.'  Kagome gasped and looked down into the still waters of the pond.  The four were gone.

And suddenly, her vision was replaced by a blinding pinkish light which consumed her.  She screamed as she was enveloped, more out of surprise than anything, for she felt no pain.  Then, just as abruptly, the light faded, and the first thing she became aware of was Sesshoumaru running towards her.  Before she could stop him, or explain herself, he pulled her close and began to search the surrounding area for the cause of her distress.

"What's wrong Kagome?  Are you all right?"

She didn't answer right away.  Everything seemed normal, but … she **felt** different somehow.  Her hand went to her side, and she wasn't wholly unsurprised to discover that the familiar throb of power that had reminded her that the jewel was there was gone.

Kagome grinned as she looked up at Sesshoumaru, "I'm fine."

***

Sesshoumaru blinked in disbelief, processing all that Kagome had told him.  It explained a few things for sure, like why she smelled a touch different, but he wasn't entirely satisfied.  "So, you are immortal now?"  It was more than he had ever hoped for, but he couldn't help feeling that it was too good to be true.

Kagome knelt down in the tall grass, plucking a wildflower in front of her.  They were in a field just outside the castle, watching Rin and Shippou while they played tag.  "'As immortal as a demon' is what they said.  I'm assuming that I have a demon's lifespan now."  She shaded her eyes and smiled up at him before she stood, tucking the flower behind his ear with a grin.  He let her because she seemed so happy at the moment.  Their entire relationship thus far had been overshadowed with one thing or another; first it had been the search for the shards and Naraku, then the death of their son.  But it seemed that she had put her past behind her and devoted herself to their new life together.  "How long do demons live anyway?" she asked, with a cute thoughtful frown.

Did he just say **cute**?  Gods, what an affect this woman was having on him.

"Quite a while," he replied with a small smile of his own, "but I do not think that we need to worry about dying any time soon in any case."

She laughed lightly, "Of course not."  A shout from the direction of the children caught their attention, and they turned to see Rin and Shippou kneeling down, intent on something that they couldn't see.

"Don't touch it!" both adults shouted at once.  They trotted over to see what had caught the attention of the kids.  It was a small, black kitten.  At once, Kagome cooed and scooped the little thing up.

"Oh, look at you, you are just so precious!" she told it.  "Where's your mommy, huh?"  The kitten mewed.  "Aww, it's all right little one.  I bet Itamae can find some milk for you."

"Absolutely not," Sesshoumaru broke in.  "We are not keeping that thing."

Kagome turned toward him with an odd look that he couldn't quite place, but he was sure that it wasn't good.  Then she turned back to the little cat.  "Did you hear that?  Sesshou says that we can't keep you.  Well guess what else; Sesshou isn't going to be getting any for a while either."

Below them, while Sesshoumaru sputtered, Rin asked Shippou, "What does Kagome-mama mean?"

Shippou grinned a bit at Kagome's deviousness, "Ask me later Rin-chan."

The demon lord sighed, "Fine.  You can keep the damn thing."

Kagome smiled sweetly at batted her eyelashes at him.  "Oh Fluffy-chan, you're such a darling.  Here you go Rin-chan," she handed the kitten to the girl, "Why don't you and Shippou go ask Itamae-san for some milk?"  The two children ran off giggling.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he slipped a protective arm around Kagome's waist.  "You are a bitch, you know that?" he commented as they began to walk back to the castle.

She grinned at him, "I know."  Despite himself, the demon lord smiled back as he looked down at the woman whom he would be spending the rest of his life with.  Forever was a long time, but he found himself looking forward to it.

Sesshy: *blink*blink*  What the hell was that?

LL: Chapter 13.

Sesshy: I was laughing, and smiling, and playing and being happy!  It was totally OOC!

LL: You were happy.  Even you can smile sometimes, you know.

Sesshy: *deadpan* Really.

LL: Oh-kay, maybe not…


	14. Epilogue

*passes out from shock*

Miroku: *fanning LL* What happened?

J0rge: This is the first fic that she's actually finished that counts, and she's having a hard time believing it.

Sesshy: Funny, I could have sworn it was the mass of hormones that this chapter is **swimming** in.

LL: *wakes up suddenly* Aww, is it bothering you?  I can fix that! *jumps Sesshy*

Disclaimer: I'm done, I'm done, I'm done! *glomps Miroku*glomps Sesshy*glomps B0b*  Thanks for all your reviews!!! I got over 600, and I'm so happy! *glomps J0rge* (B0b: this is your disclaimer, dork.) Oh yea, I don't own them … yet.  This is just my first step to taking over the world, just you wait and see!

A huge thanks to Emcron for his help, as well as Jason, Ashlee, and all of you wonderful reviewers.  I couldn't have done it without you!! (And I'd like to thank the Academy…)

*

Mouko: fierce tiger

Ikkitousen: matchless warrior

Epilogue

Something was tickling her ear.  Grumbling, a very sleepy Kagome swatted at it, only to find that her hand had been trapped by something warm, if a little prickly in places.  With a weary sigh, she rolled over to see what the trouble was.

Glaring into a pair of innocent (yea right) yellow eyes, she growled, "Let me go, or I'll bite off your fingers."

He chuckled seductively as he drew light circles on her fingers with his claws.  "Morning to you too, sunshine."

Kagome yawned and snuggled into her mate's chest.  "It's not morning," she informed him.  There was no way it was morning; they had just gone to sleep.  Last night had been a long one, what with their mating ceremony, and their extensive activities afterwards.

But… "I beg to differ," Sesshoumaru said, amused, "It is morning.  Very late morning in fact."

Kagome looked towards the window, and sure enough, the sun was shining merrily just outside.  She flicked it off and buried herself under the blankets, wrapping her arms around the demon's torso.  "That doesn't mean that we have to get up."

"Who said anything about getting up?" he asked mildly in between nibbling on her neck.  "We can have our food brought to us, and live quite happily right here."  He nipped her earlobe, causing Kagome to squeak.

"Don't be silly," she laughed, "If we stayed here, we'd end up getting fat and lazy."  Her eyes glinted mischievously as she looked up at him.  "We wouldn't want that would we?"

Sesshoumaru pinned her underneath him and grinned wickedly, "I doubt we have to worry about that; this is **very** good exercise."

Kagome grinned and kissed him, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"Oi!"  The shout, accompanied by an obnoxious knock startled both of them.  "You two can't still be asleep.  So hurry up and get dressed, because I'm giving you thirty seconds before I'm coming in."

Kagome whined, "Omura-san…"

"I told you we shouldn't have invited him," Sesshoumaru whispered to her as he rose and helped her up.  Kagome pouted while Sesshoumaru began to dress, but slipped on a yukata anyway.

Outside, Omura said, "Hurry up!  I've got a present for you!"

"You think he could have waited," Kagome grumbled.  Sesshoumaru smirked at her.  The woman poked him in the ribs, hitting a ticklish spot and causing him to double over.  "That's what you get for being a smug SOB," the woman told him as she tied her obi and turned towards the door huffily.  But before she could get more than a few steps, the demon lord caught her wrist and kissed her thoroughly.

When he released her, he breathed into her ear, "You know, we don't have to meet him."

Kagome shivered at the heat in his voice and in his eyes.  "Perhaps," she replied mischievously, "But I wouldn't put it past him to stay true to his word…"  The woman trailed off and eyed the hidden door to what was technically her room.  "Hmm, do you think he'll follow us into there?"

The demon lord followed her gaze and smirked as he caught on.  Silently, they slipped through the door.

***

Sesshoumaru watched as Omura faded away into a speck in the distance and then disappeared altogether.  As he had expected, his best friend hadn't been at all angered by their disappearing act, in fact, he had rather amused when he and Kagome had appeared a few hours later (it would have been later, but Kagome had insisted, and had more than made up for it that night).  But the green-haired demon's actions only confirmed what he had suspected (well, ok, what he knew), that Omura had only been trying to annoy them in the first place.  And the fact that he had done the same thing only this morning for no apparent reason was a pretty good clue to.

The western lord then turned to his mate.  She was alternatively playing with the black kitten, who had been dubbed Mouko, and cooing over the dragon's egg that Omura had given them.  Sesshoumaru snorted inwardly, only Kagome could possibly think that a dragon's egg was cute.  Then, as if she sensed him looking at her, she glanced up and smiled brightly at him.  She was getting better at things like that, he had noticed.  She was stronger as well, but the only reason for such changes that he could think of was her recent transformation.

His mate stood and stretched lazily, looking off into the direction that Omura had gone.  With a small contented sigh, she rested her head on his shoulder, and he slipped an arm around her waist.  Sesshoumaru didn't bother to puzzle over the action, though it wasn't something that he would normally do.  Kagome liked it, and he usually got something for it later, as he was finding out much to his delight.  Besides, it felt … nice.

"It's going to be fun having a baby dragon," Kagome said suddenly.  The demon grunted in response; he didn't really feel like talking, but he didn't want Kagome to be quiet either.  "And all that stuff that he got us … I think Jaken gave him some hints though, Omura did mention something about talking to him."  Sesshoumaru stiffened, when did this conversation take place?  "I'm sorry that he had to go, Omura is so sweet."

"I'm not," Sesshoumaru growled.

Kagome turned to face him, her eyes twinkling with laughter.  "You're jealous," she stated.

"I'm not," he retorted.

She wrapped her arms around his chest and toyed with his hair as she looked up at him, "You are.  Don't worry, Fluffy, you're much yummier than Omura-san.  I'm all yours."  She pulled down the edge of her kimono, revealing the mark that he had put there.  He looked at her for a moment, searching her face.

Finally, he smiled, "Yes, you are mine.  But…"  He trailed off as Shippou and Rin bounded into view, chased by Jaken who was waving his staff at them.  Kagome knelt to greet the kids, whispering something in their ear.  They glanced at one another and turned to grin at Jaken.  The toad took one look at the two and ran, the kids closely following.

Kagome turned back to him, hands on hips, "But…?"

He procured a small dagger from his sleeve and handed it to her.  She took it, puzzled. "Am I not yours as well?"

Her eyes widened, "You want me to…?"  Sesshoumaru nodded.  "Is that normal, for females to mark their mates?"

It was times like these that Kagome's intelligence bothered him.  "It's not unheard of," he replied carefully, "but it isn't a common practice."

"Oh."  Kagome twirled the blade in her fingers absently while she studied the ground.  Sesshoumaru didn't push her, this was something that she needed to decide on her own.  Finally, she drew in a breath, "But, umm…"

"You won't hurt me," he assured her quickly.

"That's not it," she said, "I don't know what to put."

He chuckled, but inwardly, a huge wave of relief swept over him.  "Whatever you wish."  Kagome thought about this for a moment, then nodded.  Carefully, she parted his kimono and with a few quick strokes, carved an English 'K' just below his collarbone.

Pressing her lips to the mark, she whispered, "Mine."

***

Several years later:

"Oh sweetie, he's beautiful!"  Kagome looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms.  His tiny white tail curled around her wrist contentedly.  The woman smiled at her son as he yawned and blinked awake.  Ikkitousen had a knack for telling when he was being fawned over.  After seeking out Sesshoumaru, who was standing behind her, he allowed his big blue eyes to wander to her mother.

"Look, Tousen-chan, that's your grandma.  And there's Uncle Souta."

"Hey!  That makes me sound old," Souta protested, leaning over to look at his new nephew.  Kagome watched him from lowered lids; he was nearly taller than she was!  Surely it hadn't been that long since they had last visited.

"You want to hold him Mom?" Kagome asked when she saw the other woman's fingers twitch.

"Oh, if you don't mind dear," her mother said nonchalantly.  Kagome laughed and held the boy out for her to take.

"Umm, Sesshou," Kagome said when she noticed her furry bracelet, "Your son has attached himself to me … again."  The demon smirked and leaned over to pry the child's tail from his mate's wrist.  "Remind you of something," Kagome whispered to him, tugging a strand of his silver hair.  He smirked again, slipping an arm around her waist and nipping her ear.  She shot him a 'not now' look, but it came out a little less stern than she had hoped.

They turned back to her mother, who was cooing over her very smug grandson.  "Oh honey!  He's just so sweet!  And he looks just like you, Sesshoumaru!"

"She can tell?" he whispered to Kagome, who shrugged.

"Umm, mom, you know we can't stay for too long right?  We have to meet with some of Sesshou's allies."  Her mother nodded.  "When we have time, we'll come back and stay for a few days."

Sesshoumaru added, "Kagome would stay, but she has to come and make sure that I don't look at the wrong person the wrong way."

"And it's a good thing that I do," the woman retorted, "If I wasn't there, then we'd be in a war all of the time, instead of only 92 percent of the time."

"Well it's a good thing I have you around then isn't it?" he replied in such a way that it took Kagome a few moments to realize that he was complimenting her.

***

It would have been an odd sight to say the least; a woman who looked not quite human and not quite youkai carrying a demon baby and a fully-grown demon emerging from an old well in the middle of a forest.  They didn't linger, but rose into the air together, headed west.  Neither of them noticed the flash of red as a pair of golden eyes sadly watched them go.

"Hey Sesshou?  When we get old, will we still sleep together?"

"I hope so."

"Not like that!  I mean … are we still going to like each other enough to sleep in the same bed?"

"Of course."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

LL: *rubbing her head with teary eyes* Oww… you hit me!

Sesshy: You were trying to rape me!

Miroku: *pouts* How come she never tries to do that to me?

B0b: Do you really need to ask that?

A/N: I'm going to take a break before I start on 'Broken'.  I'm not going to stop writing, but I'm a little burned out on this fic, so since I don't want the sequel to be crappy, I'm going to work on some other stuff for a while.  If you want to be notified of my updates, send an e-mail to ellycian-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or if that doesn't work, e-mail me directly at mauriemulo1308@yahoo.com.  Love you all! ~Landlady of the Universe


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